Lowering Lake Conroe Temporarily Could Be Blessing in Disguise for Lakefront Property Owners

The Lake Conroe Association, which fought the temporary lowering of Lake Conroe, may find that it’s a blessing in disguise.

The TCEQ decided to allow the San Jacinto River Authority and City of Houston to lower Lake Conroe for six weeks by up to two feet during the peak of hurricane season. The SJRA will lower the lake to 199 feet if evaporation does not already reduce it that much.

Lowering Lake Could Facilitate Repairs, Help Fight Invasive Species

This should reduce the risk of flooding for people on both sides of the dam between August 15 and September 30. It could also give lakefront property owners an opportunity to repair shallow docks, retaining walls and other waterfront property.

That’s what the property owners on Lakes LBJ and Austin did for six weeks while the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) lowered those lakes in 2017 to facilitate dam repairs.

Image of hydrilla, an invasive species, courtesy of USGS.

The Lower Colorado River Authority also urged their residents to use the 2017 drawdown as an opportunity to curb the growth of nuisance aquatic vegetation, such as hydrilla and Eurasian watermilfoil.

The Lake Conroe Association may find that lowering Lake Conroe helps in its fight against invasive aquatic vegetation. Battling hydrilla has been one of the group’s top priorities for more than forty years.

 

Opening of Dredging Bids Expected Later Today

Temporarily lowering Lake Conroe will provide a buffer against flooding for downstream residents who are currently fighting excessive sedimentation left behind by Hurricane Harvey. The sediment is blocking drainage ditches and exacerbating flooding.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to open bids today on its Emergency West Fork Dredging Project. The Corps has postponed the bid opening twice already to give bidders more time to resolve questions relating to the complex project. The earlier dates were May 31 and June 12. I will let you know as soon as I hear something. Once approved, the project is projected to take approximately six months to complete.

Update on Tropical Wave as of 6 a.m., 6/18/18

As of this morning, the level of Lake Conroe is at 200.59 feet. The level of the San Jacinto river at US59 is currently close to 41 feet, which is about 1.5 below normal, thanks to the City of Houston’s decision to lower the level of Lake Houston in advance of the approaching storm.

Height of San Jacinto River at US 59 according to USGS stream gage data.

However, with the tropical wave expected to stream moisture in from the Gulf of Mexico most of this week, both of those levels should increase.

The morning weather report from Space City Weather indicate that counties in the northern part of the Houston region could see rainfall accumulations from 1.2 to 2.4 inches today. The five day outlook calls for higher accumulations. However, Jeff Lindner of Harris County Flood Control says, “Thus far bands/waves of showers … have not trained over one particular area long enough to cause any problems.”

Currently, Main Risk is From Street Flooding

“Overall the current forecasted amounts of rainfall are likely to be handled by the creeks and bayous over the area as long as the rainfall continues to exhibit enough breaks allowing systems to drain. Grounds will slowly saturate as the rainfall totals add up leading to greater amounts of run-off as the event continues. While rises on area creeks and bayous will be possible, the main threat will be street flooding especially in any areas of intense rainfall,” says Lindner.

He indicates, though, that the risk of flash flooding has increased to “moderate” for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Downstream Residents Grateful

Residents that I talk to downstream of the Lake Conroe Dam are grateful for the decision to lower Lake Conroe temporarily. Many are still traumatized by Hurricane Harvey and repairing their homes from the flood it caused. They appreciate Lake Conroe residents who supported the lowering. While it may be a short-term inconvenience, it will give the Corps time to clear the river. Hopefully, it will also give residents of Lake Conroe time to repair their docks and renew their fight against invasive plant species.

Posted on June 18, 2018

293 Days since Hurricane Harvey

TCEQ Approves SJRA and City Plan to Temporarily Lower Lake Conroe

This morning, I received a press release announcing that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) had approved the joint decision by the City of Houston and the San Jacinto River Authority to temporarily lower the level of Lake Conroe during the peak of hurricane season. The lake will be lowered by two feet from 201 mean feet about sea level (msl) to 199 msl between mid-August and the end of September. This will provide buffer against flooding while the Army Corps of Engineers removes excess sediment from the West Fork deposited by Hurricane Harvey that is exacerbating flooding. Because this has legal implications and the Lake Conroe Association fought the lowering, I’m reprinting the entire text of the press release below…with special thanks to Houston City Council Member Dave Martin, Mayor Sylvester Turner,  and SJRA Board Members Kaaren Cambio and Mark Micheletti who lobbied long and hard for this. Also to all the Lake Houston and Lake Conroe residents who made the trek to testify about this issue to the SJRA board.

Text of Press Release

CITY AND SJRA RECEIVE APPROVAL TO MOVE FORWARD WITH TEMPORARY FLOOD MITIGATION PROPOSAL FOR LAKE HOUSTON AND LAKE CONROE

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will use “enforcement discretion” if flood mitigation releases for Lake Houston and Lake Conroe exceed annual water rights

HOUSTON, TEXAS – Hurricane Harvey deposited tremendous amounts of silt in the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. The silt physically changed the river’s ability to safely pass flows during storms and created the need for a significant dredging project to restore the river’s capacity. As a temporary flood mitigation solution, the City of Houston and the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) proposed a temporary, joint reservoir operations strategy for Lake Houston and Lake Conroe. The temporary flood mitigation would be in place for up to two years or until the dredging project is completed.

The proposed strategy involves the pre-release of water from Lake Houston immediately prior to certain storms and the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe’s water level during the Spring and Fall.  

A significant hurdle to final consideration of the proposed temporary strategy was a decision by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on how releases of water from the two reservoirs would be “accounted for” by the state. TCEQ issues permits that limit how much water can be diverted each year from water supply reservoirs like Lake Houston and Lake Conroe.

The proposal from Houston and SJRA highlights the difficulty of balancing the state’s long-term need for reliable water supplies with the short-term goal of protecting public health and safety while emergency measures are implemented to reduce flood risks.

In a letter to the City of Houston and SJRA on Friday, June 15, 2018, the TCEQ expressed its intent to use enforcement discretion to allow the two agencies to move forward with finalizing their temporary flood mitigation strategy.

The letter states that “if flood mitigation releases . . . result in an exceedance of the annual permitted amounts for diversion or release by SJRA of the City of Houston, the TCEQ Executive Director will exercise enforcement discretion with respect to such exceedance.” The TCEQ’s decision acknowledges the importance of accounting for all diversions from the state’s water supply reservoirs, but it also recognizes the emergency nature of the flood mitigation work being conducted in the San Jacinto River.

The City of Houston and SJRA express their sincere appreciation to the leadership and staff at the TCEQ for their thoughtful consideration of the unique flood challenges that our region is facing. We look forward to finalizing the details of our proposed joint reservoir operations strategy. Additional details on the project including a timeline will be provided as they become available.

ABOUT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS

Houston Public Works (www.HoustonPublicWorks.org) is responsible for streets and drainage, production and distribution of water, collection and treatment of wastewater, and permitting and regulation of public and private construction covering a 627-square mile service area. Houston Public Works is accredited by the American Public Works Association. Facebook & Twitter:@HoustonPWE

ABOUT SAN JACINTO RIVER AUTHORITY

Created by the Texas Legislature in 1937, the San Jacinto River Authority is a government agency whose mission is to develop, conserve, and protect the water resources of the San Jacinto River basin.  Covering all or part of seven counties, the organization’s jurisdiction includes the entire San Jacinto River watershed, excluding Harris County.  SJRA is one of two dozen river authorities in Texas, and like other river authorities, its primary purpose is to implement long-term, regional projects related to water management and development. For more information, visit www.sjra.net.

Damage Map: Neighborhoods in Lake Houston Area Hardest Hit by Harvey

Structures flooded in Lake Houston area by watershed and political jurisdiction.

From this damage map, it’s clear that Kingwood suffered the most home damage in the upper Lake Houston area during Hurricane Harvey.

Harris County Food Control has worked diligently to map damage due to Harvey. The map above shows the total number of damaged homes by watershed AND political jurisdiction. The black line that divides Kingwood in two is the dividing line between East Fork and West Fork drainage.

In Harris County, there were 4,484 homes (City of Houston – Primarily Kingwood 3,652; Humble 466, Atascacita: 366) flooded by the West Fork.  Additionally, 1,290 homes (Kingwood 1,162; Huffman 128) were flooded along the East Fork.

These totals do not include additional homes flooded along each Fork that were not in Harris County, i.e., in Montgomery County. They do not include businesses. Nor do they include homes flooded further down on the lake, i.e., in Crosby or Summerwood.

These totals are lower than initially expected based on SBA and FEMA data. At a meeting of the Houston Geological Society on June 6, County Judge Ed Emmett explained that after floods many con artists file fraudulent claims. Therefore, he says, it’s common to see reductions in damage numbers after claims are investigated.

How to Read the Map

The total number of damaged structures within both the West Fork watershed and Houston appears three separate times for three different subdivisions. The total for all three is associated with each segment; do not make the mistake of adding the same number three times to get an exaggerated total for the damage.

Harris County Flood Control compiled this map for the Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention  Initiative. Thanks go out to Matt Zeve and his team. They are currently working on a more granular breakdown that would show damage by subdivision, for instance, Barrington, Kingwood Lakes, Kings Point, etc.

Don’t Forget Meeting Tonight: Featured Speakers from Army Corps

Don’t forget the meeting tonight at the Kingwood Community Center. Mark Micheletti will update the community on SJRA flood mitigation projects. Bill Fowler will address tax valuations. Jonathan Holley will give us a quick overview of the Harris County Flood Bond. And the featured speakers from the Army Corps will address objectives, scope, timing and details of their emergency dredging project. The meeting starts promptly at 6:30 pm and will end by 8. Please attend.

Posted 6/11/2018 by Bob Rehak

286 Days since Hurricane Harvey

 

Case for Lowering Lake Conroe up to Two Feet During Peak of Hurricane Season

Dockline Magazine just posted three articles in its Spotlight section about lowering the level of Lake Conroe up to 2-feet during the peak of Hurricane season in late August and September.

“The Case for Lowering Lake Conroe Two Feet During Hurricane Season” represents the Lake Houston point of view. I authored it and have reprinted it below.

“Editorial on Proposal to Lower Lake Conroe Levels” sounds as though it represents the magazine’s point of view. However, it the president of the Lake Conroe Association, a group of volunteers, wrote it.

The third article, “SJRA Proposes Temporary Seasonal Lake Lowering Strategy for Lake Conroe” contains the details of the plan to lower the lake. Jace Houston, general manager of the SJRA, authored it.

Currently, the SJRA and City of Houston back the plan to lower Lake Conroe. The TCEQ  is still evaluating the proposal and expected to rule on it later this month.

The Case for Lowering Lake Conroe by up to Two Feet
During the Peak of Hurricane Season

By Bob Rehak, Lake Houston Area Resident

On April 26, in response to pleas from Lake Houston residents and a directive from the governor (to protect downstream residents from flooding), the SJRA board voted to lower the level of Lake Conroe temporarily. The lowering would amount to one foot during the rainiest months in spring and up totwo feet during the peak of hurricane season in late August and September.

I say “up to” because Lake Conroe loses on average of more than a foot and a half due to evaporation by September. The most likely reduction would be only an additional 4.8 inches. In no case would the SJRA manually lower the level of the lake beyond 199 mean feet above sea level (msl).

Nevertheless, in an open letter posted on May 11, the president of the Lake Conroe Association says his group MUST FIGHT a 2-foot reduction. He makes three arguments. Two feet would: 1) make shallow docks unusable, 2) harm tourism, and 3) reduce values of Lake Conroe homes. He says, “Families expect to enjoy their investment...’”

In the letter, he does not address how long SJRA intended the two-foot reduction to last. Nor does he discuss whether it is necessary to protect downstream residents, so allow me.

These seasonal reductions would only last until the threat to downstream residents can be reduced through other measures. In practical terms, that likely means until: 1) the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can dredge sand buildups that exacerbate West Fork flooding, and 2) the discharge rate of Lake Houston can be synchronized with Lake Conroe’s to eliminate a bottleneck in the river system. SJRA would re-evaluate the need for temporary, seasonal reductions each year and stop them when these other mitigation measures reduce flood risk.

Downstream residents understand that lowering the lake level will make it difficult for some Lake Conroe residents and businesses to use their docks. However, a temporary lowering should not result in any permanent losses. Lake Conroe goes down almost this much naturally every year. Yet still it bounces back. The area is still renowned for its beauty and recreation. And home values have climbed steadily.

Real, Not Potential Damages

Meanwhile, the damage from flooding downstream has devastated thousands of homeowners and businesses.

According to the SBA, more than 16,000 homes and 3,300 businesses in the Lake Houston area suffered damage during Harvey. A survey last month at a meeting of the Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention Initiative showed that half of the residents are stillnot back in their homes – eight months after Harvey! Likewise, many businesses still have not reopened and many never will.

If you think the flood affected only people who built “too near the river,” think again. I live 1.7 miles from the river in a subdivision where 40 percent of the homes flooded. Many of my neighbors still live in hotels, with friends, or in campers as they try to restore their homes. Home damage in our little 350-acre neighborhood totaled an estimated $40 million. Most residents didn’t have flood insurance because they were nowhere near theflood plain. To finance repairs, many have taken on long-term debt, burned through retirement savings, or cashed in their children’s college funds.

Also, because of West Fork flooding during Harvey:

  • Union Pacific had to replace its bridge, disrupting rail traffic for weeks.
  • TxDoT had to replace part of the I-69 bridge, creating massive traffic delays during rush hours for months.
  • 44 percent of all Lake Houston Area Chamber businesses were adversely affected.
  • 100 percent of Humble businesses between Deerbrook Mall and the West Fork flooded on both sides of I-69.
  • 100 percent of Kingwood’s Town Center businesses closed for months.
  • Memorial-Hermann’s new Town Center facility flooded just before it opened and is still under repair.
  • Kingwood and Deerwood country clubs flooded and still have not fully reopened.
  • Lone Star College/Kingwood lost 11 of its 13 buildings for most of the school year.
  • Kingwood High School closed for 7 months and underwent repairs costing $60 million
  • 4000 students had to be bused to another high school an hour away for all that time
  • Humble ISD closed its Instructional Support Center, Welcome Center and Agricultural Barns for repairs.
  • Tax revenues from the Lake Houston area were impacted by 20-30 percent according to City of Houston estimates.
  • Humble ISD had to give out tax rebates for the last third of 2017.
  • Kingwood’s library closed for more than eight months.
  • River Grove Park had to be excavated from sand up to five feet deep.
  • Kingwood’s only community boat launch became landlocked.

Harvey knocked out the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge over the San Jacinto, disrupting rail service for weeks. Picture taken Sept. 14, 2017.

TxDoT hopes to complete I-69 bridge repairs in September, more than a year after Harvey. Picture taken May 13, 2018.

Causes for Concern

So, what caused all this devastation? Was it purely the magnitude of Harvey? Or are other factors at work?

Release Contributes to Flooding Far Outside 500-Year Flood Plain

First, the release of 79,000 cubic feet of water per second from Lake Conroe at the peakof Harvey made the flood worse. That volume represented about ONE THIRD of all the water coming down the heavily populated West Fork between Humble and Kingwood where most of the damage took place.This extra water flooded people and businesses outside the 500-year flood plain.

New Sand Deposits Back Up River and Drainage Ditches

Second, Harvey swept sand downstream, in part, from approximately 20 square miles of sand mines between I-45 and I-69. This sand blocked and backed up the river at strategic choke points. It also blocked drainage ditches leading to the river.

This massive sand bar grew 1500 feet in length and 12 feet in height during Harvey. It now blocks a drainage ditch (left center) that empties the western third of Kingwood. More than 650 homes flooded in neighborhoods that connect to this ditch.

This sandbar deposited during Harvey is an estimated 8 feet in height and stretches nearly the entire width of the West Fork.

Until dredging removes such deposits, Kingwood and Humble residents live in fear of every approaching storm.

Greater than Expected Flooding on Minor Rains

Third, even minor storms are causing much greater-than-expected flooding because of such blockages.

For example, a late-March storm this year dumped an average of five inches of rain across the watershed. It brought floodwaters two to three feet higher than a similar 5-inch rain at the beginning of last August – just before Harvey. Worse, the March flood happened AFTER Lake Houston had been lowered by 2 feet in anticipation of the storm.

Clearly, something has changed on the river. Because of massive sand deposits, such as those shown below, it won’t take another Harvey to cause significant damage.

During Harvey, thousands of homes and businesses flooded behind blockages, such as this one, where the West Fork enters Lake Houston.

At West Lake Houston Parkway (left), Harvey deposited sand in the tree tops. Sand now blocks water from flowing under the bridge and through the trees during a storm as it did before, narrowing the effective width of the river considerably.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is organizing a dredging project to address such problems and expects to start in June. Until they finish and redraw the flood maps after dredging, no one really knows how many homes would flood due to Lake Conroe releases, such as those we have seen in the last three years.

Artificial Bottleneck

A fourth factor also worries Kingwood residents – the dam on Lake Houston has only two small floodgates. Combined, they have one-tenth the release rate of Lake Conroe’s. This creates a bottleneck. It greatly inhibits the ability of officials on both lakes to coordinate releases of water before storms as a flood mitigation strategy.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has committed to adding ten more gates to Lake Houston and Congressman Ted Poe has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fast-track the project.

But still, the gates must be built – just as the river must be dredged. Until we fix these problems, thousands of downstream residents will not be able to sleep soundly at night. For them, this is about survival, not recreation.

The Only Immediate Option to Reduce Flood Risk

Lowering the level of Lake Conroe is the only IMMEDIATE option that will provide a buffer against additional downstream flooding.

How much lowering is necessary? Is that extra foot really needed? If we got another storm as intense as Harvey, it would provide downstream residents only a two-hour buffer! That’s right. The storm would raise Lake Conroe that extra foot in just two-hours.

However, the two-foot reduction isn’t designed to protect against another Harvey. It’s designed to protect downstream residents against lesser floods that are abnormally high because of sand blockages like those shown above.

A two-foot reduction would let Lake Conroe absorb more water, decreasing the chances that SJRA would have to open flood gates. And if they had to open flood gates, it would delay the opening, giving downstream residents more time to evacuate.

The Lake Conroe Association will accept a one-foot reduction, but not two. That extra foot doesn’t seem like too much to ask, given all that’s riding on this decision for downstream residents as they still struggle to recover from billions of dollars in damages.

That buffer would also help protect the hundreds of Montgomery County homes that flooded around Lake Conroe and downstream from its dam.

Could another 500-year storm strike us this year? As unlikely as that seems, consider the fact that we’ve had three so-called “500-year storms” in the past three years. Something has changed out there affecting all of our assumptions. That’s why a little extra insurance would help.

Plea for Support

We ask our neighbors to the northwest for patience and support. Instead of lobbying against us, please join our fight. Help us expedite mitigation measures. With your support, our combined voices will bring change faster, so we can all return to normal life sooner.

Until then, we need to manage the river in a way that respects the lives and property of all residents on both sides of the dam, not just one.

Posted on 6/2/2018 by Bob Rehak

277 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Pros and Cons of Two Alternative Strategies to Lower Lake Conroe

06//01/18 – In its April board meeting, the San Jacinto River Authority voted to seasonally and temporarily lower the level of Lake Conroe to reduce flood risk for downstream residents.

Several learned and respected people suggested an alternative strategy in response to pushback from the Lake Conroe Association. Their proposal goes something like this. “As soon as a named storm enters the Gulf, begin lowering the level of the lake.”

On the surface, it sounds like an appealing and fair compromise. Wait until a real threat appears rather than react pre-emptively to an anticipated threat. Both strategies seemingly attain the same objectives.

However, like all difficult decisions, this one contains hidden layers of complexity. Let me attempt to explain the relative pros and cons of each strategy so that you can understand the tradeoffs.

Temporary, Seasonal Lowering

Pros
  • Slow, controlled release of one or two inches per day
  • Rate is certain not to flood downstream residents
  • Extra capacity gained in lake reduces flood risk during storm
  • Avoids liability for SJRA
  • Predictability – Lake Conroe residents know what to expect and can plan around it
  • No coordination issues with Lake Houston, which has a different kind of dam
Cons
  • May waste water if no storm appears
  • Will inconvenience some boaters with shallow docks on Lake Conroe for six weeks or possibly more  during hurricane season

Wait and See Before Lowering

Pros
  • Less risk of wasting water
  • Does not inconvenience boaters or other Lake Conroe residents without imminent cause
Cons
  • Flood threat may not come from the Gulf or be a named storm
  • Difficult to release enough water at a SLOW rate to make a difference during a major storm
  • Tropical storms can blow up near coast or traverse Gulf in a couple days
  • Less reaction time would require faster release rate
  • Faster release rate might flood downstream residents living close to river
  • Lake Houston can only discharge 10,000 cubic feet per second through gates.
  • Lowering Lake Conroe two feet at that rate would require approximately 2.5 days.
  • Could erase excess capacity in downstream watershed, which would most likely fill up first if storm approaches from south
  • Weather forecasts cannot accurately predict how much rain will fall or where it will fall within a watershed. Lake Conroe might get NO rain and Lake Houston might get more than it can handle – on top of a rapid release from the Conroe dam.
  • TCEQ recommended against it

Discussion

The primary objective of lowering Lake Conroe is to reduce flood risk when it is highest for downstream residents. It would also provide an extra margin of safety for Lake Conroe residents, many of whom flooded during Harvey. From that standpoint,  the temporary seasonal lowering has the highest probability of success. Here’s why.

The temporary, seasonal lowering can be carried out at a rate of one or two inches per day as weather and downstream conditions permit. It’s a sure thing.

The wait-and-see strategy carries more risk (from the flood prevention point of view) because of the unpredictability of tropical storms. Sometimes they blow up near the coastline at the last minute. Storms can also easily cross the Gulf in three days, as Alberto did, or change course at the last minute, as Rita did. (Remember the mass evacuation of Houston that turned out not to be necessary?)

If it typically takes a hurricane three days to cross the Gulf, using the wait-and-see strategy requires reducing the level of Lake Conroe eight inches per day (instead of one or two inches per day) to achieve a two foot reduction. That might flood downstream residents in Montgomery and Harris Counties – especially if the storm approaches from the south and loads up the downstream watershed WHILE Lake Conroe is releasing.

Another problem with the wait-and-see strategy is this. What if the storm is not tropical in nature? What if it approaches from the north or west and still dumps eight to 10 inches of rain on us? Engineers would have even less time to release in such a case. The Tax Day Flood in 2016 dumped more than 16 inches of rain in parts of our area in just 12 hours – from thunderstorms that approached from the west with less than two days’ warning.

Lake Conroe can release water ten times more quickly than Lake Houston.

A two-foot lowering would not do much to protect us from another Harvey; it would provide only a few additional hours to evacuate. However, such a lowering would protect us from smaller storms, such as 10-, 25-  or 50-year events, and those are FAR more likely to occur.

Both strategies have a flaw from a precedent point of view. A letter from the TCEQ to the SJRA dated March 26, 2018, states that, “The general rule in this country is that the operator of a dam may permit floodwaters to pass through a dam in an amount equal to the inflow, but will be liable if any excess amount is discharged.”

Hmmmm. That puts the ball squarely back in the City of Houston’s court. It looks as though the City of Houston will have to rely on its right to draw water from Lake Conroe if it wants to lower the level of the lake during hurricane season.

According to Houston City Council Member Dave Martin, the City has not used its allotment since the drought in 2011/2012. The City’s allotment of 100,000 acre feet. Because the lake is approximate 20,000 acres in size, if the City used its full allotment, it could lower the level of the lake by five feet, far more than the 2-foot reduction the LCA is fighting.

All parties should keep in mind that neither strategy is permanent. Lake level reductions would only happen UNTIL other long-term mitigation measures become effective. Those include dredging the river and the installation of additional flood gates on Lake Houston. Dredging is designed to restore the river’s carrying capacity and velocity. Additional gates on Lake Houston would eliminate a downstream bottleneck by equalizing the discharge rates of the two dams on the river.

June 1, 2018 by Bob Rehak

276 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Lowering Lake Conroe: How much is enough?

The president of the Lake Conroe Association has said the group will fight a reduction of their lake to 199 mean feet above sea level (msl) during September. Remember, SJRA normally maintains Lake Conroe at 201 msl.

“The fight can be avoided, and relief can be felt in the Lake Houston area, by accepting a more reasonable approach of temporarily lowering Lake Conroe by not more than 1 foot for flood control,” said Mike Bleier, at the bottom of his post: http://www.lakeconroeassociation.com/the-lca-will-lead-the-fight-against-lower-lake-levels/

Is Reducing the Lake Level an Extra Foot Worth the Fight?

Readers have asked, rightly so, “Is this worth the fight? How much would we really gain, especially considering that evaporation already reduces the lake  to 199.4 msl on average during September?”

Depending on your perspective (and how far from the lake you live), you might say:

“That extra foot is not worth the fight, because nature will already likely give us most of it.”

Or…

“If another massive release from the dam is necessary, that extra foot, in fact, every inch, will save more homes and/or give us more time to evacuate. We need every inch and every second we can get in an emergency, especially considering that dredging has not yet started.”

Do you have your hurricane kit prepared? Do you have flood insurance yet?

The Value of an Extra Foot of Buffer

The extra foot would undoubtedly save some homes on the margin of the flood, because flood gates would not have to open as wide or as long or even at all. However, it’s impossible to precisely calculate how many homes would be saved.  That’s because of all the sediment clogging the river and other unknowable factors such as rainfall distribution and duration, and ground saturation. However, it is possible to calculate how much time we could gain to evacuate safely.

How Much Time We Would Gain Before Flood Gates Had To Open?

Let’s compute it:

  1. Lake Conroe covers 21,000 acres.
  2. A one-foot reduction in its level equals 21,000 acre feet.
  3. But flow and discharge rates are measured in cubic feet per second (CFS).
  4. So let’s figure out what that would be, given a rainfall as intense as Harvey’s.
  5. Converting acre feet to cubic feet…
  6. There are 43,560 cubic feet in one acre foot.
  7. 21,000 x 43,560 = a total of 914,760,000 cubic feet being debated
  8. The maximum inflow rate to the lake during Harvey was 130,000 cfs.
  9. 914,760,000 cf / 130,000 cfs inflow = 7,037 seconds
  10. 7037 seconds = 117 minutes = approximately 2 hours
  11. A one foot reduction would provide an extra two-hour buffer against a rainfall as intense as Harvey’s.
  12. How much buffer is there normally?
  13. Gates must open when water level increases 18 inches above 201 feet.
  14. Without lowering level of lake, we have a 3-hour buffer before gates must open.
  15. Lowering the lake level one foot means there’s a 5-hour buffer before gates must open.
  16. Lowering the lake level two feet provides a 7-hour buffer before the gates must open.

Jace Houston, general manager of the SJRA, confirmed these calculations. He also stated that they were generally consistent with the rate of rise that SJRA saw in Lake Conroe during Harvey.

Finally, Houston pointed out that few storms are as intense as Harvey, and that with smaller rainfalls, you would gain proportionally more time. For instance, half the inflow rate would double the buffer time.

Those smaller storms have a much higher probability of occurring. However, a 20-inch rain falling over a two day period would be classified as yet another 500-year storm.

In fact, as I write these words, a tropical system is brewing in the Gulf. The amount of expected rainfall associated with it is 15-20 inches at this moment. If it actually rains 20 inches, that would be exactly half the amount Harvey dumped on IAH.

According to Jeff Lindner of Harris County Flood Control, this storm is expect to slow near the cost and dump up to 20 inches of rain between NE Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle.

Keep in mind: that storm is NOT currently predicted to affect the Houston area. Forecasters believe it will make landfall between SE Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. I’m using this only as a hypothetical example.

So, in our hypothetical example, let’s assume the inflow rate to Lake Conroe is exactly half of Harvey’s. That would give us twice as much time – 14 hours as opposed to seven to prepare. What would you need to do during that time if you were in an area that could flood?

  • Move your belongings to a higher floor if you have one?
  • Gather up your valuables, albums, computers, documents, medications, insurance policies, guns, etc.?
  • Refill prescriptions if you’re low?
  • Pack enough food and clothes for a week?
  • Gas up your vehicle with thousands of other people?
  • Pack up your vehicle?
  • Collect your children, elderly relatives, pets and all their medications and valuables?
  • Move additional vehicles to higher ground?
  • Find a friend or hotel who lives on higher ground who is willing to take in your family?
  • Investigate escape routes when the power may be off and trees may be blocking roads?
  • Move all that toxic stuff under your sinks and in your garage up into your attic?
  • Shut off your electricity?
  • Warn friends, neighbors, and relatives?
  • Let them know your evacuation plans?
  • Find an ATM with money left in it?
  • Beat the traffic out of town?

Sounds like a pretty full day to me! Granted, you might have a little more time because it takes water a while to get from Conroe to Lake Houston. But you might also have a little less time, because sand blocking the river could cause water here to rise faster, regardless of Lake Conroe releases.

So is that extra foot worth fighting for? In my opinion, yes.

It would let Lake Conroe absorb more water, decreasing the chances that they would have to open their flood gates. And if they had to open their flood gates, it would delay the opening, giving you more time to prepare to evacuate and get to higher ground.

Remember, if the rainfall rate was heavier, you would have even less time.

I didn’t have to evacuate during Harvey. The flood stopped one house away from me. So I would like to hear from those who WERE forced to evacuate? Do you think 7-14 hours would have helped? How would your life have changed if you had had that much time to prepare?

Posted May 25, 2018 by Bob Rehak

269 Days Since Hurricane Harvey

 

Results of May SJRA Board Meeting and Decision to Temporarily Lower the Level of Lake Conroe

At its May Board meeting, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) chose not to reconsider its April decision to lower the level of Lake Conroe temporarily at the peak of hurricane season. The board also chose not to put reconsideration of the resolution on its agenda for next month. This now puts the decision about whether to lower Lake Conroe temporarily into the hands of the City of Houston and the Texas Council on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Protest by Lake Conroe Association

The Lake Conroe Association protested last month’s board resolution to temporarily lower the level of Lake Conroe by up to two feet in September. The resolution was intended to help protect Lake Houston area residents from flooding until other mitigation measures, such as dredging, can be implemented. The Governor specifically directed the SJRA to make such protection part of its mission.

However, the president of the Lake Conroe Association (LCA), Mike Bleier, urged the board to reconsider its decision and was given unlimited time to present his case. Bleier spoke for more than half an hour. Bleier’s main concerns were the potential impacts on recreation, home values and businesses around Lake Conroe. Several other members of the association spoke in support of reconsideration.

Kingwood Residents Speak in Favor of Lowering

More than a dozen Kingwood residents also attended the meeting. Four spoke in favor of letting the motion stand.

Guy Sconzo, former superintendent of the Humble Independent School District, thanked the board for its decision to lower the lake. Then he talked about the impact of flooding on Lake Houston area infrastructure. His talk  addressed massive losses by the school district, Kingwood College, and more.

TxDoT hopes to repair damage to the I-69 bridge by September, more than a year after Harvey. In the meantime, residents endure massive traffic jams.

Robert Westover talked about a flooded retirement community where several elderly residents died due to injuries incurred during high-water rescues and related stress.

Amy Slaughter complemented the board for its decision to lower the lake and explained how it would help insure that people had time to rebuild while other flood mitigation measures were completed.

Dennis Albrecht, who owns homes on both Lake Houston and Lake Conroe also spoke. Albrecht compared the relative impacts of flooding and lower lake levels on home values. Albrecht pointed out that the value of his Lake Conroe home has increased steadily despite lower lake levels at times. He also pointed out the devastating impact of the flood on the value of his Lake Houston home. “There’s no comparison,” said Albrecht.

Many other Kingwood residents attended the meeting to support the SJRA Board’s decision.

When is a lowering not really a lowering?

Bleier said that his members would accept a one foot lowering, but not two. Several Kingwood residents pointed out that evaporation already typically reduces the level of the lake by more than a foot and a half during September. The LCA’s decision to accept a one-foot lowering was, therefore, actually no concession at all; they would likely give up nothing.

Assuming average loss due to evaporation, the actual lowering would amount to only 4.8 inches.

Dianne Lansden, co-chair of the Lake Houston Area Grass Roots flood prevention initiative, and I gave Bleier a tour of the devastation in Humble and Kingwood yesterday. After a two-hour tour, while professing to be sensitive to the needs of downstream residents, Bleier proceeded to tell us the concerns of upstream residents. Among them: his members might not be able to take their boats to lakefront restaurants. (Editorial comment: Spooky shades of Marie-Antoinette!)

Not All Lake Conroe Residents Support LCA

To be sure, not all Lake Conroe residents agree with Bleier. Hundreds of homes on Lake Conroe also flooded during Harvey and reportedly most of the owners also favor a temporary seasonal lowering of the lake level, according to SJRA Board Chairman Lloyd Tisdale.

Lake Lowering Could Still be Nixed

Despite the SJRA board’s decision this morning, Lake Conroe still may not be lowered. To take effect, both the City of Houston and the TCEQ must also agree to lower the lake. The City owns two thirds of the water in the lake. The TCEQ must decide whether any lowering will count as an emergency release or be deducted from the City’s draw rights. If not considered an emergency release, the City may not support the decision to lower the lake.

Uncertainty Surrounding Weather Outlook

Some forecasters are beginning to worry about a possible drought. As of May 22, Drought.gov pointed out that abnormal dryness is currently affecting approximately 13,612,000 people in Texas, which is about 54% of the state’s population.

However, NOAA issued an outlook saying that 2018 will be a slightly above average hurricane season.

And, Thursday night, the National Hurricane Center predicted a 90% chance of tropical development in the Gulf this weekend.  That system could dump up to ten inches of rain on neighboring Louisiana and other gulf states.

How a 10-Inch Rain Could Affect Kingwood

If we got ten inches of rain from a storm, such as the one entering the Gulf this weekend, that could constitute a 50-year rain at a time when the river is clogged with sand. That could produce a higher-than-normal flood for that amount of rainfall, and re-flood parts of Kingwood and Humble before dredging could even begin.

Personal Recommendation

Personally, I favor lowering the level of the lake. The actual amount of manual lowering, assuming this is an average year, would be only 4.8 inches. Even in the depths of the 2011 drought, the loss of 4.8 inches would have not have been disastrous.

There’s little chance, despite the hyperbolic rhetoric from LCA that 4.8 inches will destroy the Lake Conroe area. And it could help protect the Lake Houston area from another disaster.

In fact, in eight of the last 18 years, Lake Conroe has lost more than two feet of water due to evaporation and the lake is still one of the state’s most desirable destinations for tourists.

LCA Vows to Escalate the Fight

LCA has vowed to press its fight with the City and TCEQ and claims to have enough political support lined up to kill the proposal to lower Lake Conroe temporarily.

So get involved. Urge the TCEQ, Mayor and City Council to TEMPORARILY lower Lake Conroe  until other mitigation measures, such as dredging, take effect.

Posted on 5/25/18 by Bob Rehak

269 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Proposal to Temporarily Lower Lake Conroe Stirs Fight with Lake Conroe Association Over Likely 4.8 Inches

At its board meeting last month, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) voted to temporarily lower Lake Conroe. This temporary lowering would only be by one foot in the rainiest months of spring and up to two feet during the peak of hurricane season, late August and September. However, due to seasonal evaporation, the amount of the actual lowering would most likely amount to 4.8 inches in September. Assuming this is an average year, that’s just 20% of the 2 feet previously anticipated.

The temporary lowering of the lake level would provide a welcome buffer against flooding for Humble and Kingwood residents, yet has sparked a blizzard of backlash from the Lake Conroe Association.

The Lake Conroe Association has said it will accept a temporary 1-foot lowering, but not 2-feet. Read the full text of the open letter by the Association’s president. Their president asserts that that extra foot will reduce property values, hurt commerce and undermine tourism. He repeatedly refers to the temporary measure as an attempt to turn Lake Conroe into a flood-control lake, rather than a water supply lake. He has vowed to take the fight to Austin, the Texas Council on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the City of Houston. Here’s the kicker.

Nature already lowers the lake through evaporation during the peak of hurricane season – an average of more than 19 inches in September. Therefore, the Lake Conroe Association is not really fighting about two full feet, or even an extra foot; they’re fighting about a reduction that would be just 4.8 inches if this is an average year. Only in one year out of the last 18 has the average level of Lake Conroe exceeded 201 feet in September; that was last year after Harvey.

Bill Fowler, Co-chair of Lake Houston Area Flood Prevention Initiative, researched seasonal fluctuations of Lake Conroe due to evaporation. He found that the lake normally goes down during hurricane season, often by much more than a foot. See the table below taken from USGS data. The 18-year averages for August and September, the two months in question, are:

  • August = 199.6
  • September = 199.4

USGS data showing the average monthly levels of Lake Conroe for the last 18 years. 

Four-tenths of a foot equals just 4.8 inches.

4.8 inches will cause property values to collapse? 4.8 inches is going to make or break marinas? 4.8 inches will ruin tourism?  The temporary lowering would not even last the entire two months.

Below is the exact proposal, with details supplied by Jace Houston, general manager of SJRA. It must still be approved by the City of Houston and the Texas Council on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Note that SJRA wouldn’t start lowering beyond one foot until August 15 and wouldn’t get down to the target level until September 1.

Also note that the temporary lowering is relative to the level SJRA tries to maintain – 201 feet above mean sea level. It does NOT begin at the actual lake level which is, on average, 199.4 feet above MSL in September.

Details of Temporary Lowering of Lake Conroe

  • As a point of reference, the normal pool level of Lake Conroe is 201’ above mean sea level (msl).
  • Spring season – April 1 through May 31.
    • Starting on April 1, gradually reduce to and maintain the level of Lake Conroe at 200’ msl (one foot below normal pool).
    • Starting on June 1, begin to capture flows to restore normal lake elevation.
  • Fall season – August 1 through September 30.
    • Starting on August 1, gradually reduce the level of Lake Conroe with a goal of reaching 200’ msl (one foot below normal pool) by August 15.
    • After August 15, continue gradually lowering the level of Lake Conroe with a goal of reaching (and maintaining) 199’ msl (two feet below normal pool) by August 31.
    • Starting October 1, begin to capture flows to restore normal lake elevation.
  • If the lake level has already dropped to the target elevation just due to evaporation, no releases would be made.
  • If a storm enters the forecast while releases are being made to lower the lake level, releases would be stopped and the river allowed to drain out until rainfall is out of the forecast.

The Lake Conroe association is really only being asked to give up the difference between 199 msl and whatever the lake level is on August 15. The full reduction would not be reached until September 1 and the lake would fill again beginning October 1.

Note that any temporary, seasonal lowering would only last until downstream mitigation projects can be implemented. For instance, the Army Corps of Engineers should begin a dredging project in June that will remove the equivalent of approximately two and half Astrodomes worth of sand from the West Fork between Humble and Kingwood. That sand currently blocks the river and drainage ditches, causing higher-than-normal flooding with modest rains.

The Lake Conroe Association speaks for its members, but not all Lake Conroe residents. Many of the lake’s residents also flooded during Harvey and have indicated they would welcome a temporary reduction in lake level, as they too struggle to rebuild their lives and homes.

The Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention Initiative has invited LCA’s president to see the river siltation and devastation in this area caused by Harvey and the Lake Conroe release of 79,000 cubic feet per second. He has accepted. Let’s hope that what he sees changes his desire to fight a measure that could help so many people.

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Bob Rehak

262 days since Hurricane Harvey

Amy Slaughter’s Hurricane Harvey Experience

Amy Slaughter, her husband, two kids, a dog and a rabbit lived in a picturesque one-story house…until Hurricane Harvey. For the last eight months, she has lived with her husband and daughter in a trailer in their driveway while they struggle to rebuild their house. Their college-age son now lives with in-laws; it saves space in the trailer.

Home, Home on the Driveway! The Slaughter family has been living in a trailer for almost 9 months as they try to restore their home.

As I interview Amy in a local restaurant, she orders a root beer. She needs it, she says, to settle her stomach. She’s just come from court and is trying to squeeze me in before a conference call. As we talk, she constantly checks her phone for messages from contractors, architects and engineers. Such is the life of a professional mother in the Post-Harvey Reconstruction Era.

Matching shoes! Life is good!

As I listen to her tell me her story, I marvel at how energetic and positive she sounds. No doubt, this is a by-product of finally having found matching shoes and a working toaster oven.

“During the first days of the storm, we really weren’t worried,” says Slaughter. “Lake Conroe was beginning to release water, but there was no visible impact.”

“Ironically, relatives on Lake Conroe called us and said, ‘They’re releasing water from the dam up here and you have no idea how much!’ It was much more than the SJRA’s web site was showing. Evidently, the updates were way behind. But we still weren’t worried because we didn’t flood in 1994.”

“By noon, we began to think differently. We took three of our cars to Kingwood Park High School, just to be safe. My family talked me out of loading our computers into the cars because they thought someone would steal them. Big mistake. Everything I do is filed electronically with the courts. All the files on my laptop, memory cards, my home server … everything … was lost!”

“Our neighbors across the street are about a foot lower than we are. The creek behind them started to rise during the morning of the 28th. We went over to help them move their furniture upstairs. By 6 p.m., we had moved everything we could and water started to creep into their house.”

“On the news, they kept saying they were expecting the river to crest, but it didn’t; it kept rising. So we were caught off guard.”

“Then around midnight of the 28th, water began to creep into our house.” She looks whimsically inward at herself and giggles.

The Great Solo Cup Caper

“What?” I ask.

“We thought we might get only a couple inches, so we put solo cups under the legs of our wooden tables to protect them!” She smiles; You have to admire a woman who can laugh at disaster. Eventually, her home took on four feet of water.

The Slaughter’s gutted interior.

“We put chairs, computers, photo albums, and other junk up on tables and chests without realizing that everything we put up high would float and flip.”

The Pink Flamingo Flotilla

She laughs again as she flits from memory to random memory. “We evacuated as soon as the water started coming in the house. We brought our dog with us. But we left the rabbit in a cage up on the dining room table. When the water kept rising, I told my husband, ‘You have to get the rabbit.’”

“He and the dear friend who rescued us took an umbrella and waded back to the house through chest-deep water. Our rabbit was floating high above the table in her cage. They floated her cage right out.  Other belongings were rescued on a giant pink flamingo. Most people used john boats; we used a pink flamingo from our pool.”

Amy Slaughter shows how high the water reached in her entry way.

Then her mood turns somber again. “Once we rescued the rabbit, we realized we had at least four feet of water in our house. We were pretty much in shock.”

“What did you lose?” I ask.

“Furniture-wise and computer-wise, we lost everything. Wedding pictures, family albums, even the digital stuff on thumb drives. It’s all gone. But everybody is safe, nobody got hurt.”

“We were able to save most of our clothing with Pine Sol and Clorox. We saved most of the dishes. Ironically goblets levitated out of my grandmother’s china cabinet and floated all over the house. We found them down the hall, in different rooms. Everywhere.  Standing upright.”

“I’ll never leave this place.”

“Some friends suggested that we go to their home on Lake Livingston. It took three times longer than normal, but when we got there, we could get on the phone with our insurance company and FEMA. Watching all the news coverage from Livingston was terrifying. It was hard to see that and not be here.”

“When the river receded, we came back. We wanted to get into the house as quickly as we could. We lived with nearby relatives while we started gutting our house.”

“I didn’t cry for two weeks. I felt strongly that I couldn’t tell my children, ‘It’s just stuff,’ and not live by the motto myself.”

“When I got in there, I went from an attitude of looking at ‘what was lost’ to ‘what we could save.’ That really helped me get through the experience of gutting the house.”

“Everything in our home was sentimental. We had a lot of antiques we inherited. My grandmother grew up destitute. It killed me to put her sewing machine out at the curb, knowing how many dresses she had made for us growing up. To watch it rot there for three weeks was heart wrenching.”

“It was unbelievable, though, to be surrounded by people who came out of the woodwork to help. In Livingston, I was thinking, ‘Where can we live?’ But during the gutting of our house, people just came up and offered to help. Everyone pitched in. Strangers. Friends. Relatives. Customers. Clients. They brought food. They brought tools. And they didn’t ask for anything. After that, I thought to myself,  ‘I’ll never leave Kingwood.’”

A Court Appearance Reminiscent of “My Cousin Vinny”

“Then the exhaustion hit. My husband and I were both still trying to work. I had court dates. My clothing was all over Kingwood. At cleaners. With me. With my mother in law. It was pretty funny. The first time I went to court, I showed up in a denim skirt.  I approached the bailiff and said, I apologize ahead of time to the court. We got flooded and I don’t know where any of my clothes are.” Luckily, Slaughter had a judge who was more understanding than the one in the movie.

“Home, Home on the Driveway”

“Currently, we live in a travel trailer. We had looked for homes, apartments and hotels to rent, but everything was booked up. Friends opened their homes to us, but we wanted to stay near the house to deal with repairs. The trailer is not big enough for all of us; my son has to live with my sister in law.”

“The trailer is not like living in a drum; it’s like living in a drum SET,” Slaughter jokes. “When it rains, you hear all kinds of sounds. The rain makes one sound. The pine needles brushing up against the trailer make another. And then there’s the occasional cymbal crash when a pine cone hits the roof.”

“We store our clothes in the garage. It’s the mother of all walk-in closets right now.”

The mother of all walk in closets…Amy Slaughter’s garage.

“How do you cook?” I ask.

“The trailer does have a microwave. We have a grill with a burner on it. And we have a hot plate and a toaster oven. But mostly we don’t cook.”

Shrinking an Inch a Day

I shake my head, thinking back to college. I could handle life in a trailer then. Now, I’m not so sure. Amy Slaughter seems only slightly troubled, though.

“It’s not bad if you’re on vacation, but after eight months, it’s kind of getting old. At first you’re so grateful to have it that you overlook the inconveniences. Then after about a month, your thoughts start to go in the opposite direction. It feels like it’s shrinking an inch a day.” I nod; I have a pair of jeans like that.

Camp Chairs and an Air Mattress for Watching TV

“Now that the house is dried out, I’m starting to use it as a workshop to restore my grandmother’s furniture,” says Amy Slaughter. “We have a back porch. We put a TV out there. We have camp chairs and an air mattress for watching the TV. That’s really our living room. But it’s getting hot now. So we may be spending more time in the trailer.”

Third-World Living

“The shower in the trailer is about the size of a bucket. It’s functional and would work. But it’s tiny, so we shower in the house. One of the bathrooms had a shower where we only tore out the glass and the backside of two walls. We put tarps along the wood studs to hold the water in and propped up the one wall with a wire shelving unit and bungee cords. It’s definitely Third-World living.”

The Slaughter shower. Makeshift, but still bigger than their trailer’s shower.

I think to myself, “This lady wins awards for creativity, but I doubt she will pass the plumbing inspection.”

“Purchasing the House We Almost Paid Off.”

I ask how Harvey affected Amy Slaughter’s family financially. Without missing a beat, she says, “We get the privilege of purchasing the house we had almost paid off.” I ask for an explanation. “Our options were: sell and move; put it right back together again; or build up. We didn’t want to move. And we didn’t want to flood … ever again. So we decided to build up. But contractors told us it would be less expensive to wipe the slab and start over than build on top of what we had.”

“How much longer will it take?” I ask.

“Finding a contractor to do the whole thing is difficult. Everybody is booked. We’re in a financial quandary. Flood insurance will only go so far. It will replace what we had, but not what we feel we need to build to be safe. Before this, we had a house that never flooded and we want to get back to that.”

“What are your biggest concerns at the moment?” I ask.

Concerns Looking Forward

“There’s a concern that we won’t be able to sell the house. How many people want a one-story house where you have to climb the stairs to get in?”

“I’m also afraid that Kingwood will be considered a lost cause at some point by politicians. You’ve seen it happen with Forest Cove. ‘Oh, that area floods now, so we should just buy out the owners and wipe it all out.’”

“Meanwhile, you have developers who are buying golf courses, like Forest Cove’s. I’ve heard it was bought and is about to be turned into homesites. That scares me. They’re going to build up higher and that’s just going to send water toward the rest of us. If the politicians don’t start limiting development like that, it will turn the rest of us into a financial sink hole.”

“If you could say one thing to the mayor, what would it be?”

Amy Slaughter pauses a long time, then…

“Come try to sleep through a rain storm in my travel trailer!”

“I worry whether I should put pontoons it,” she says doing her best Sarah Silverman imitation. Then seriously, “It won’t take a Harvey at this point to flood Kingwood again. I know they are committed to dredging the river, but the reality is they haven’t solidified any workable plan yet.”

And with that, Amy Slaughter excuses herself and sprints off to her conference call.

Interview by Bob Rehak

Posted May 15, 2018

259 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Lake Conroe Association Announces It Will Fight Temporary 2-Foot Lowering of Lake During Hurricane Season

A political storm is brewing with the Lake Conroe Association.

On April 26, in response to pleas from Lake Houston residents and a directive from the governor (to protect downstream residents from flooding), the SJRA board voted to lower the level of Lake Conroe temporarily. The lowering would amount to one foot during the rainiest months in spring and up to two feet during the peak of hurricane season.

The lowering would help provide a buffer against future storms by creating extra capacity within the lake to absorb rainfall before the flood gates must be opened. Thus, it will help protect Lake Houston area residents from the potential for another massive release like we saw during Harvey. However…

In an open letter posted on May 11, the president of the Lake Conroe Association says his group will NOT FIGHT a 1-foot reduction; however, he claims it MUST FIGHT a 2-foot reduction. He makes three arguments; two feet would, he says: 1) make shallow docks unusable, 2) harm tourism, and 3) reduce values of Lake Conroe homes. He says, “Families expect to enjoy their investment without SJRA and The City of Houston … ‘changing the rules.’”

The Houston Chronicle summed it up this way.

The Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention initiative has contacted the LCA president. We have offered to give him a tour of the devastation in the Humble/Kingwood area first hand.

TxDoT hopes to repair damage to the I-69 bridge by September, more than a year after Harvey. In the meantime, residents endure massive traffic jams. Photo taken on May 13, 2018.

Our hope is that once he sees what residents here are still trying recover from, he will be less inclined to fight the lowering of Lake Conroe by that extra foot during hurricane season. Stay tuned for more developments.

Posted May 15, 2018

259 Days Since Hurricane Harvey