LCA PRESIDENT’S UPDATE as of July 30, 2018
LCA PRESIDENT’S UPDATE
as of July 30, 2018
The LCA has been informed that the reduction of lake levels on Lake Conroe will begin this coming week. While a final press release is currently being completed by The City of Houston and the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA), we can report the following:
1. The current lake level on Lake Conroe is 200.52.
2. Water will begin to be slowly released starting August 1 or shortly thereafter.
3. The release rate should approximate no more than 1 inch per day which has been determined to be a “safe” rate for those downstream.
4. Between this “1 inch per day release” and daily evaporation this time of year, we would estimate that the lake will reach its intended “seasonally adjusted level” of 199’ by August 16 (this is the LCA’s estimate and not a projection provided by SJRA).
5. The objective would be to maintain Lake Conroe’s lake level at or near 199’ through September 30, 2018. Rainfall (and associated runoff) will temporarily increase that level and evaporation may decrease that level.
6. Effective October 1, 2018, water will once again be collected from rainfall (and not released) and the lake allowed to naturally return to its normal pool elevation of 201’ (assuming it rains).
The primary rationale adopted by The City of Houston and SJRA for this “seasonal adjustment” is a) allow Lake Conroe to hold and not release water during small rain events, b) to keep water from being released into the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, c) while dredging is being completed on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) waived its enforcement of regulations on releasing water from Lake Conroe when the lake is at or below an elevation of 201’ SPECIFICALLY to support this “rationale”. Why is this fact important?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing this $69.8 million project. Under the contract terms, the dredging company awarded the contract has 270 days to remove 1.8 million yards of sediment from a 2-mile stretch of the river above the Lake Houston dam. A contract timetable calls for “general debris removal and disposal” and “dredging” to commence on August 20 and September 1, respectively; and calls for “demobilize and cleanup” to be completed by May 3, 2019. Given these contract terms and the “rationale” adopted by TCEQ, water SHOULD NOT BE RELEASED from Lake Conroe after May 3, 2019 unless the lake level exceeds 201’. We could see an SJRA Board and City of Houston-approved reduction of 1’ to a “seasonally adjusted” level of 200’ between April 1 and May 3, 2019, but we should not see any lake level reductions (“seasonal adjustments”) past May 3 on Lake Conroe in 2019.
Of course, contracts get modified, excessive rains can slow contract completion, and TCEQ can modify its “rationale”. The LCA’s future focus will be an ongoing review of contract completion and trying to hold everyone to this May 3, 2019 completion date. Look for SJRA and City of Houston’s press release this week for more specifics. We’ll keep you posted.
Mike Bleier, President
Lake Conroe Association