Lake Conroe residents organizing opposition to the SJRA’s lake lowering policy have found it easy to “blame” Kingwood for their inconvenience. Kingwood is an affluent community in another county. But the Lake Conroe people ignore more than 1100 homes between Kingwood and Lake Conroe in Montgomery County (MoCo) that also flooded.
The lake lowering reduces downstream flood risk by creating extra capacity within the lake during months with the heaviest rainfall. It is a temporary measure until flood mitigation measures can be completed that help protect the Lake Houston Area.
ESRI GIS Database Shows Counts of Damaged MoCo Homes
ESRI operates a Montgomery County GIS (geographic information system) database called the Harvey Story Map. (Unfortunately, this may not work with all versions of Safari. Try Chrome if you have trouble.) Clicking on Section 12 shows the location of homes that flooded during Harvey in MoCo.
As you to zoom, you can see counts of flooded structures within the visible area. For instance, around Lake Conroe, 292 homes flooded during Harvey. The map below shows the location of those homes.
292 homes flooded on Lake Conroe during Harvey. Lake lowering gives them an extra buffer against flooding.
If you continue to zoom in, you can even see how individual houses fared in other floods as well.
Below are six screen captures that give you a sampling of what you will find. This first area is just below the Lake Conroe dam where 30 homes flooded during Harvey.
Below is River Plantation, just downstream from I-45. Put your water wings on, Bucko! The count here: 527.
Here are four more subdivisions farther downstream.
The West Fork subdivisions shown above had 1159 flooded structures during Harvey. But more homes flooded than in these six images. For starters, there were the 298 homes around Lake Conroe itself.
I’m not sure how many people have waterfront lots on Lake Conroe, but is their boating convenience really worth risking the possibility of flooding even a subset of these homes again?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/24/2019
817 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/image-1.png?fit=1911%2C917&ssl=19171911adminadmin2019-11-23 21:29:122020-01-17 08:56:39Lake Conroe Lowering Benefits MoCo Residents, Too; More Than 1100 Flooded on West Fork During Harvey
At its February 2020 board meeting, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) Board of Directors will consider NOT lowering Lake Conroe during the spring and fall rainy seasons. Lake Conroe residents have mobilized to protest the lowering which they see as a costly inconvenience. They have started spreading disinformation about the policy. The SJRA Board has reportedly already received more than a hundred letters protesting the policy.
Reason for Lowering and Current Status
The strategy of lowering Lake Conroe on a seasonal basis reduces the risk of flooding downstream residents by increasing the capacity of Lake Conroe to store water. The SJRA Board of Directors and City of Houston review the strategy annually. Both entities own water rights in Lake Conroe.
The gates at Lake Conroe can release water at up too 150,000 CFS but are currently releasing 0 CFS. Lake lowering ended October 1st.
After Hurricane Harvey, the State of Texas called on the SJRA Board of Directors and the City of Houston to participate in regional strategies to reduce flooding. The temporary lowering of Lake Conroe has reduced releases from Lake Conroe during storms. SJRA and downstream communities realize and understand the inconvenience that the strategy can create around Lake Conroe. We ask for understanding for the duration of this temporary mitigation strategy.
Seasonal Lake-Lowering FAQs
Who Decides?
The City of Houston and the SJRA collaborate on the decision to temporarily lower Lake Conroe for flood mitigation because it effects the water supply of both entities.
How Long Will It Continue?
Seasonal lake lowering is a temporary flood mitigation initiative to increase the capacity of Lake Conroe to catch rainfall and runoff while long-term and short-term flood mitigation strategies are implemented downstream.
The motion made by the SJRA Board states that the intent of the proposal is to provide “a near-term, temporary flood mitigation benefit while more permanent mitigation strategies, such as dredging of the lower West Fork, are completed.”
When Does It Happen?
Seasonal lake lowering occurs twice annually – first in April/May and second in August/September.
How Much is It Lowered and for How Long?
In the spring, releases begin on April 1st. SJRA gradually reduces the level of Lake Conroe to 200’ mean feet above sea level (msl)—one foot below the normal Lake Conroe pool level of 201’ msl. Starting on June 1st, SJRA recaptures flows to restore normal lake elevation to 201’ msl.
In the fall, releases begin on August 1st. SJRA gradually reduces the level of Lake Conroe with a goal of reaching 200’ msl by August 15th. After August 15th, gradual lowering continues with a goal of reaching (and maintaining) 199’ msl—two feet below normal pool—by August 31st. Starting October 1st, SJRA begins to capture flows to restore normal lake elevation to 201’ msl.
What If The Lake Is Already Down?
If the lake level has already dropped to the target elevation due to evaporation, no releases are made.
What if It Rains While the Lake is Already Lowered?
If a storm enters the forecast while seasonal releases are being made to lower the lake level, releases are stopped and the river is allowed to drain out until rainfall is out of the forecast.
Is There Science Behind This Policy?
Two engineering reports by Frees & Nichols from early 2018 show the benefits in terms of flood mitigation and the potential negative impacts to water supply. These reports as well as additional information about seasonal lowering can be found at: https://www.sjra.net/floodmanagement/.
Has it worked? Is there real value in terms of flood mitigation?
Yes. Looking at recent rainfall events, seasonal lowering resulted in both lower peak lake levels during storms and lower release rates from the dam.
Seasonal lowering also reduces the peak Lake Conroe level during storms, which reduces negative impacts around the lake such as damage to docks and other personal property. During Harvey, several hundred homes around Lake Conroe flooded.
Data for the May event, and for all releases from the dam, including those during seasonal lowering periods, can be monitored by visiting SJRA’s home page at www.sjra.net. Click on the “Lake Operations and Rainfall Dashboard.”
What is the cost of the release?
Lake Conroe was built as a water supply reservoir in the 1970s through a partnership between SJRA and the City of Houston. Two thirds of the water in Lake Conroe belongs to the City of Houston and one third to SJRA. The City of Houston can call for the release of its water at any time, and water supply reservoirs are built to fluctuate as demands or operational needs dictate.
Releases such as those made for dam repairs and seasonal lowering are not charged to any particular customer, therefore it is not possible to assign a value to the water released. In addition, temporary, non-customer releases do not reduce long-term water supplies, therefore they are not considered lost revenue.
To be considered as lost revenue, releases would have to happen at a time when the SJRA could not meet demand with water from Lake Conroe. But that has not happened.
And most important, if the water supply in Lake Conroe were ever threatened, say from drought, the SJRA would not be releasing water anyway. The lake level would already be far below the target level, making a release unnecessary.
Is This a Permanent Program?
No. Seasonal lowering is a temporary flood mitigation strategy that must be reconsidered each year by the City of Houston and the SJRA Board of Directors while more permanent mitigation strategies, such as dredging of the lower West Fork, are completed.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/LC-Dam-e1719277556742.jpg?fit=1200%2C549&ssl=15491200adminadmin2019-11-23 11:00:262020-01-17 08:57:17FAQs About Lowering Lake Conroe to Reduce Downstream Flood Risk
Efforts have started already to lobby against the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe again next year. They seem to be organized and inspired by the Lake Conroe Association again. I understand that the lowering inconveniences some Lake Conroe residents, especially boaters who live in areas like Grand Harbor where the water depth is shallow to start with. However, the inconvenience pales in comparison to the damages suffered in the Lake Houston Area. The lowering helps provide a buffer against downstream flooding during the wettest months of the year. The SJRA will vote on whether to extend the lowering policy at its February board meeting.
A Campaign of Misinformation
The Lake Conroe Association and its proxies are deliberately spreading falsehoods to rile up people against the lowering. The same misinformation contained in the Lake Conroe Association presentation on their news page, is repeated in the website Stop Draining Lake Conroe (https://www.stopdraininglakeconroe.com) and the Grand Harbor YouTube video below.
Lake Conroe homes are being damaged by the lake lowering. Really? How does that work? Is it the same as 250,000 CFS coming through your living room? That’s what happened to 81 townhomes in Forest Cove. See below.
One of 81 empty townhomes on the West Fork in Forest Cove after the Lake Conroe release. Note the bulk-heading. Harris County Flood Control demolished this building earlier this month. Many others remain, affecting property values around them.
Lake lowering is damaging bulk-heading around Lake Conroe. How does that work? Does evaporation destroy the bulk-heading? See the bulk-heading along the West Fork above.
Downstream residents are trying to turn this into a permanent plan. Please tell me who. I’m not aware of any organized effort. The plan has always been to reconsider the lowering every year until flood mitigation measures such as dredging were complete.
SJRA is throwing away $5.33 million of water revenue. It would only be throwing away the revenue if it could sell the water. But there’s no unfilled demand due to water shortages in the lake. And the water replenishes itself as rain falls from the sky.
Water level of Lake Conroe is at 198. That’s an exaggeration to rile up the people in Grand Harbor, who normally only have four feet of water. The lake level is normally at 201′ and currently at 198.82′. That’s 198 and ten inches. So those Grand Harbor people have half their normal water, not one quarter. Current release rate is 0.
Lake Conroe only provided 15% of the water that flooded Kingwood. Lake Conroe only affects the West Fork, but the statistic includes the East Fork. During Harvey, West Fork flooding caused the vast majority of the damage. The Lake Conroe release comprised ONE-THIRD of the water coming down the West Fork through the highly populated Humble/Kingwood corridor where virtually 100% of the businesses are located. Lake Conroe released 80,000 CFS of the 240,00 CFS coming down the West Fork. So the 15% statistic is extremely misleading.
Video Makes Many of Same False Claims And Some More
The video includes many of the same false claims and a few new ones. Let me focus on the new ones.
The video states or implies that:
Describing the lowering as Seasonal rather than Temporary implies we are trying to make it Permanent. I’m not sure how you get from either of those words to “permanent.” This is a logical fallacy. It’s a falsehood designed to inspire fear.
Recent events show that Lake Conroe is being unfairly blamed for downstream flooding. Kingwood still flooded during Imelda “even though we didn’t release anything” during Imelda. Please! The vast majority of all Kingwood flooding during Imelda was street flooding or related to Woodridge Village. Some homes did flood on the East Fork, but I can’t believe any of those residents would blame it on a fictional release from Lake Conroe that wasn’t coming down the West Fork.
There was an “organized effort” in Kingwood to send an unspecified number of “letters” to the SJRA board thanking them for not releasing during Imelda. So what is it? Are we allegedly blaming you for flooding us during Imelda or thanking you for not flooding us? Show me the letters. I’m not aware of any such organized effort. See the comment above.
Kingwood is trying to increase the lowering to 3 feet and Kingwood is winning that fight by a large margin.I’m aware of no effort to increase the lowering and no fight that we’re winning by a large margin.
Wading birds that require shallow areas are being destroyed. Duh! They’re saying birds need shallow water, but they want to make the lake deeper. So if water depth had something to do with destroying birds, who would be destroying them?
Boating Vs. Flooding
Let’s face it. The big reason Lake Conroe residents don’t want to see their lake lowered is that it makes boating more difficult. No argument there.
But the big reason Lake Houston area residents want more dredging is not boating. It’s to reduce flood risk. The mouth bar forms a sediment dam behind the dam that reduces the conveyance of the river through the heavily populated Humble/Kingwood corridor. And until it’s dredged, we need the help of Lake Conroe residents. The lake lowering strategy gives us the only effective way to mitigate flooding for now.
After the Army Corps removed 500,000 cubic yards of sediment from the West Fork mouth bar, Imelda promptly redeposited much of it. Here’s what it looked like after Imelda.
700 yards south of the mouth bar, RD Kissling, a kayaker, photographed himself in 1 foot of water AFTER the Corps finished dredgingand after Imelda.
Compare These West Fork Damages
Tens of thousands living north of the West Fork who used I-69 for commuting experienced massive traffic jams every day for 11 months while TxDoT reconstructed the southbound lanes after Harvey.Photo taken 6/19/2018.
We are certainly sensitive to Lake Conroe lifestyle considerations. But during Harvey, Lake Houston Area damages on the West Fork alone included:
After a year, only half the residents who flooded throughout the Lake Houston Area were fully back in their homes. Some still aren’t. Many homes have been abandoned.
City of Houston estimated Lake Houston area damages to be in the billions.
City of Houston estimated this area’s tax revenues were reduced 20-30 percent.
TIRZ funded expansion of Northpark Drive had to be delayed several years.
Humble ISD documented $97.5 million in damages to its facilities.
Kingwood High School closed for 7 months; 4000 students had to be bused to another high school more than an hour away the entire time.
More on this in future posts. Lake Houston Area residents need to gear up to fight the falsehoods and ensure that Lake Conroe seasonal lowering policy remains in place for another year.
Harvey knocked out the Union Pacific Railroad bridge over the San Jacinto River near I-69 and disrupted rail traffic for months. Photo taken 9/14/2017.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/22/2019
815 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/I69Damage-e1775243525276.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2019-11-22 19:00:202020-01-23 11:28:50Lake Conroe Association Fighting Seasonal Lowering in Advance of SJRA Vote to Reconsider Policy
Lake Conroe Lowering Benefits MoCo Residents, Too; More Than 1100 Flooded on West Fork During Harvey
Lake Conroe residents organizing opposition to the SJRA’s lake lowering policy have found it easy to “blame” Kingwood for their inconvenience. Kingwood is an affluent community in another county. But the Lake Conroe people ignore more than 1100 homes between Kingwood and Lake Conroe in Montgomery County (MoCo) that also flooded.
ESRI GIS Database Shows Counts of Damaged MoCo Homes
ESRI operates a Montgomery County GIS (geographic information system) database called the Harvey Story Map. (Unfortunately, this may not work with all versions of Safari. Try Chrome if you have trouble.) Clicking on Section 12 shows the location of homes that flooded during Harvey in MoCo.
As you to zoom, you can see counts of flooded structures within the visible area. For instance, around Lake Conroe, 292 homes flooded during Harvey. The map below shows the location of those homes.
If you continue to zoom in, you can even see how individual houses fared in other floods as well.
Below are six screen captures that give you a sampling of what you will find. This first area is just below the Lake Conroe dam where 30 homes flooded during Harvey.
Below is River Plantation, just downstream from I-45. Put your water wings on, Bucko! The count here: 527.
Here are four more subdivisions farther downstream.
The West Fork subdivisions shown above had 1159 flooded structures during Harvey. But more homes flooded than in these six images. For starters, there were the 298 homes around Lake Conroe itself.
So, to the 4,484 homes that flooded in Kingwood, Humble and Atascocita on the West Fork, add these and more.
I’m not sure how many people have waterfront lots on Lake Conroe, but is their boating convenience really worth risking the possibility of flooding even a subset of these homes again?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/24/2019
817 Days after Hurricane Harvey
FAQs About Lowering Lake Conroe to Reduce Downstream Flood Risk
At its February 2020 board meeting, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) Board of Directors will consider NOT lowering Lake Conroe during the spring and fall rainy seasons. Lake Conroe residents have mobilized to protest the lowering which they see as a costly inconvenience. They have started spreading disinformation about the policy. The SJRA Board has reportedly already received more than a hundred letters protesting the policy.
Reason for Lowering and Current Status
The strategy of lowering Lake Conroe on a seasonal basis reduces the risk of flooding downstream residents by increasing the capacity of Lake Conroe to store water. The SJRA Board of Directors and City of Houston review the strategy annually. Both entities own water rights in Lake Conroe.
After Hurricane Harvey, the State of Texas called on the SJRA Board of Directors and the City of Houston to participate in regional strategies to reduce flooding. The temporary lowering of Lake Conroe has reduced releases from Lake Conroe during storms. SJRA and downstream communities realize and understand the inconvenience that the strategy can create around Lake Conroe. We ask for understanding for the duration of this temporary mitigation strategy.
Seasonal Lake-Lowering FAQs
Who Decides?
The City of Houston and the SJRA collaborate on the decision to temporarily lower Lake Conroe for flood mitigation because it effects the water supply of both entities.
How Long Will It Continue?
Seasonal lake lowering is a temporary flood mitigation initiative to increase the capacity of Lake Conroe to catch rainfall and runoff while long-term and short-term flood mitigation strategies are implemented downstream.
The motion made by the SJRA Board states that the intent of the proposal is to provide “a near-term, temporary flood mitigation benefit while more permanent mitigation strategies, such as dredging of the lower West Fork, are completed.”
When Does It Happen?
Seasonal lake lowering occurs twice annually – first in April/May and second in August/September.
How Much is It Lowered and for How Long?
In the spring, releases begin on April 1st. SJRA gradually reduces the level of Lake Conroe to 200’ mean feet above sea level (msl)—one foot below the normal Lake Conroe pool level of 201’ msl. Starting on June 1st, SJRA recaptures flows to restore normal lake elevation to 201’ msl.
In the fall, releases begin on August 1st. SJRA gradually reduces the level of Lake Conroe with a goal of reaching 200’ msl by August 15th. After August 15th, gradual lowering continues with a goal of reaching (and maintaining) 199’ msl—two feet below normal pool—by August 31st. Starting October 1st, SJRA begins to capture flows to restore normal lake elevation to 201’ msl.
What If The Lake Is Already Down?
If the lake level has already dropped to the target elevation due to evaporation, no releases are made.
What if It Rains While the Lake is Already Lowered?
If a storm enters the forecast while seasonal releases are being made to lower the lake level, releases are stopped and the river is allowed to drain out until rainfall is out of the forecast.
Is There Science Behind This Policy?
Two engineering reports by Frees & Nichols from early 2018 show the benefits in terms of flood mitigation and the potential negative impacts to water supply. These reports as well as additional information about seasonal lowering can be found at: https://www.sjra.net/floodmanagement/.
Has it worked? Is there real value in terms of flood mitigation?
Yes. Looking at recent rainfall events, seasonal lowering resulted in both lower peak lake levels during storms and lower release rates from the dam.
For example, the spring 2019 seasonal lowering created an additional one foot of storage space to capture rainfall in early May 2019 when storms hit the Conroe and Lake Houston areas. Lake Conroe caught significant rainfall and runoff during the storms causing the lake to rise more than a foot. If Lake Conroe had entered this event at or near full, the peak release rate would have been higher thereby increasing the peak flow in the West Fork of the San Jacinto River.
Is There a Benefit to Lake Conroe?
Seasonal lowering also reduces the peak Lake Conroe level during storms, which reduces negative impacts around the lake such as damage to docks and other personal property. During Harvey, several hundred homes around Lake Conroe flooded.
Data for the May event, and for all releases from the dam, including those during seasonal lowering periods, can be monitored by visiting SJRA’s home page at www.sjra.net. Click on the “Lake Operations and Rainfall Dashboard.”
What is the cost of the release?
Lake Conroe was built as a water supply reservoir in the 1970s through a partnership between SJRA and the City of Houston. Two thirds of the water in Lake Conroe belongs to the City of Houston and one third to SJRA. The City of Houston can call for the release of its water at any time, and water supply reservoirs are built to fluctuate as demands or operational needs dictate.
Releases such as those made for dam repairs and seasonal lowering are not charged to any particular customer, therefore it is not possible to assign a value to the water released. In addition, temporary, non-customer releases do not reduce long-term water supplies, therefore they are not considered lost revenue.
To be considered as lost revenue, releases would have to happen at a time when the SJRA could not meet demand with water from Lake Conroe. But that has not happened.
And most important, if the water supply in Lake Conroe were ever threatened, say from drought, the SJRA would not be releasing water anyway. The lake level would already be far below the target level, making a release unnecessary.
Is This a Permanent Program?
No. Seasonal lowering is a temporary flood mitigation strategy that must be reconsidered each year by the City of Houston and the SJRA Board of Directors while more permanent mitigation strategies, such as dredging of the lower West Fork, are completed.
How Do I Make my Opinion Known to the Board?
The SJRA Board of Directors welcomes input regarding the seasonal lake lowering strategy. If you would like to contact the Board please visit: https://www.sjra.net/about/board/ or email floodmanagementdivision@sjra.net.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/23/2019
816 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Lake Conroe Association Fighting Seasonal Lowering in Advance of SJRA Vote to Reconsider Policy
Efforts have started already to lobby against the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe again next year. They seem to be organized and inspired by the Lake Conroe Association again. I understand that the lowering inconveniences some Lake Conroe residents, especially boaters who live in areas like Grand Harbor where the water depth is shallow to start with. However, the inconvenience pales in comparison to the damages suffered in the Lake Houston Area. The lowering helps provide a buffer against downstream flooding during the wettest months of the year. The SJRA will vote on whether to extend the lowering policy at its February board meeting.
A Campaign of Misinformation
The Lake Conroe Association and its proxies are deliberately spreading falsehoods to rile up people against the lowering. The same misinformation contained in the Lake Conroe Association presentation on their news page, is repeated in the website Stop Draining Lake Conroe (https://www.stopdraininglakeconroe.com) and the Grand Harbor YouTube video below.
For the Record…
StopDrainingLakeConroe.com states that:
Lake Houston dredging is complete and completely out of funding. Four fifths of the mouth bar on the West Fork remains in place. Harris County Flood Control has allocated $10 million to help dredge it. See item CI-61. The State of Texas allocated $30 million in SB500. Plans for that project should be announced next week according to State Representative Dan Huberty. The City of Houston has also filed for another FEMA Grant for additional dredging.
Lake Conroe homes are being damaged by the lake lowering. Really? How does that work? Is it the same as 250,000 CFS coming through your living room? That’s what happened to 81 townhomes in Forest Cove. See below.
Lake lowering is damaging bulk-heading around Lake Conroe. How does that work? Does evaporation destroy the bulk-heading? See the bulk-heading along the West Fork above.
There is no science to support the original action by the board, or for continuing this action plan. See these engineering reports by Frees & Nichols.
Downstream residents are trying to turn this into a permanent plan. Please tell me who. I’m not aware of any organized effort. The plan has always been to reconsider the lowering every year until flood mitigation measures such as dredging were complete.
SJRA is throwing away $5.33 million of water revenue. It would only be throwing away the revenue if it could sell the water. But there’s no unfilled demand due to water shortages in the lake. And the water replenishes itself as rain falls from the sky.
Water level of Lake Conroe is at 198. That’s an exaggeration to rile up the people in Grand Harbor, who normally only have four feet of water. The lake level is normally at 201′ and currently at 198.82′. That’s 198 and ten inches. So those Grand Harbor people have half their normal water, not one quarter. Current release rate is 0.
Lake Conroe only provided 15% of the water that flooded Kingwood. Lake Conroe only affects the West Fork, but the statistic includes the East Fork. During Harvey, West Fork flooding caused the vast majority of the damage. The Lake Conroe release comprised ONE-THIRD of the water coming down the West Fork through the highly populated Humble/Kingwood corridor where virtually 100% of the businesses are located. Lake Conroe released 80,000 CFS of the 240,00 CFS coming down the West Fork. So the 15% statistic is extremely misleading.
Video Makes Many of Same False Claims And Some More
The video includes many of the same false claims and a few new ones. Let me focus on the new ones.
The video states or implies that:
Describing the lowering as Seasonal rather than Temporary implies we are trying to make it Permanent. I’m not sure how you get from either of those words to “permanent.” This is a logical fallacy. It’s a falsehood designed to inspire fear.
Recent events show that Lake Conroe is being unfairly blamed for downstream flooding. Kingwood still flooded during Imelda “even though we didn’t release anything” during Imelda. Please! The vast majority of all Kingwood flooding during Imelda was street flooding or related to Woodridge Village. Some homes did flood on the East Fork, but I can’t believe any of those residents would blame it on a fictional release from Lake Conroe that wasn’t coming down the West Fork.
There was an “organized effort” in Kingwood to send an unspecified number of “letters” to the SJRA board thanking them for not releasing during Imelda. So what is it? Are we allegedly blaming you for flooding us during Imelda or thanking you for not flooding us? Show me the letters. I’m not aware of any such organized effort. See the comment above.
Kingwood is trying to increase the lowering to 3 feet and Kingwood is winning that fight by a large margin. I’m aware of no effort to increase the lowering and no fight that we’re winning by a large margin.
Wading birds that require shallow areas are being destroyed. Duh! They’re saying birds need shallow water, but they want to make the lake deeper. So if water depth had something to do with destroying birds, who would be destroying them?
Boating Vs. Flooding
Let’s face it. The big reason Lake Conroe residents don’t want to see their lake lowered is that it makes boating more difficult. No argument there.
But the big reason Lake Houston area residents want more dredging is not boating. It’s to reduce flood risk. The mouth bar forms a sediment dam behind the dam that reduces the conveyance of the river through the heavily populated Humble/Kingwood corridor. And until it’s dredged, we need the help of Lake Conroe residents. The lake lowering strategy gives us the only effective way to mitigate flooding for now.
After the Army Corps removed 500,000 cubic yards of sediment from the West Fork mouth bar, Imelda promptly redeposited much of it. Here’s what it looked like after Imelda.
Compare These West Fork Damages
We are certainly sensitive to Lake Conroe lifestyle considerations. But during Harvey, Lake Houston Area damages on the West Fork alone included:
Gear Up for a Fight
More on this in future posts. Lake Houston Area residents need to gear up to fight the falsehoods and ensure that Lake Conroe seasonal lowering policy remains in place for another year.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/22/2019
815 Days since Hurricane Harvey