WATER San JacintoRiver AuthorityOKs plan for LakeConroe, LakeHoustonwater levels
LAKE LOWERING The San Jacinto River Authority’s plan adjusts lake lowering levels for Lake Conroe.
BY JISHNU NAIR
an SJRA spokesperson said. The spring recommendation is a decrease from previous protocols calling for a 1-foot lowering, while the fall recommendation is a decrease from the previous 18-inch lowering protocol. The city of Houston will retain the authority to call for more capacity releases for major storm events, the presentation said. The protocols would run until 2023. Houston said stakeholders will discuss the protocols in the fall to evaluate their effect. Board member Stacey Buick ques- tioned the push to limit lakeside construction. According to Hous- ton’s presentation, the targeted areas are potential properties below 207 feet above sea level. According to the SJRA’s data, Lake Conroe has reached a maximum height of 202 feet above sea level. “I don’t know that we have that authority to [prevent habitable construction],” Buick asked.
The San Jacinto River Authority board of directors unanimously approved a plan for the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe and Lake Houston at a Dec. 9 board meeting. General Manager Jace Houston presented the plan, which is split into protocols for both reservoirs and for the spring and fall seasons. In addition to the lake limits, Houston said invested stakeholders for lakeside communities, such as Montgomery County, agreed to support efforts to “limit further construction of habitable structures” around Lake Conroe. In the spring, Lake Conroe will be lowered by 6 inches to 200.5 feet above mean sea level beginning April 1 until June, Houston said. In the fall, the lake will again be lowered in August by 6 inches with a further 6 inches following Labor Day, accord- ing to Houston. In between lowering periods, the lake would recapture water to its normal level of 201 feet,
198 ft. 199 ft. 200 ft. 201 ft.
Normal lake level
0 ft. 1 ft.
Spring 2022 April 1-June
Fall 2022 August-September
Fall 2022 after Labor Day Lowered by 6 more inches
Lowered by 6 inches Lowered by 6 inches
Lake level is able to return to 201 ft. between lowerings
SOURCE: SAN JACINTO RIVER AUTHORITY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
agreeing that we would work together to support these efforts,” Houston said. “You’re right; we don’t have the authority. ... All that we could agree to among ourselves was that we would at least work to support those efforts.”
Houston said the SJRA and its part- ners cannot enforce construction, but it is important to educate the public and work with agencies like county commissioners to prevent homes from going up in flood-risk areas. “The [stakeholders] were
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