Unless you’ve been under a rock the past few days, you know that the Lake Conroe area has seen massive rainfall. This has led to widespread flooding, late starts at local schools, and more. Additionally, the lake has risen above its capacity; therefore, Lake Conroe is closed temporarily.
Lake Conroe’s Details
According to the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA), Lake Conroe is a 21,000-acre reservoir that can hold 430,000 acre-feet of water on a typical day. The lake’s conservation pool limit is 201 feet. However after the sustained rains for days, it was four feet higher than full at 204.04 feet.
The Problem
There are many problems that higher than normal water levels present. First, the higher water hides obstacles from boaters or fisherman. One would simply not know until they ran aground. SJRA officials said, “At this level, many docks, bulkheads, small islands and other structures are fully submerged and can create a dangerous situation for boaters.” High water can also detach debris causing it to float on the surface. This also runs the risk of damaging boats. In addition, and you can argue more serious, is the chance that the lake water can come into contact with electrical outlets or electrical equipment. Therefore, the high water levels present a danger to both people and property.
The Solution
For peoples’ safety, SJRA has temporarily closed Lake Conroe. Keep posted on developments by checking SJRA.net. It will be opened as soon as the water is deemed at an appropriate level again. In addition to the closing, SJRA is also releasing water on an on-going basis. At the time of writing this post, they were releasing water at a rate of 19,435 cubic feet per second. Plans are to continue in order to help alleviate the flooding issue.
Hopefully, this explained why Lake Conroe is closed temporarily. It truly is for everyone’s safety. I hope you can join me in being grateful to SJRA for acting fast to see the potential problems and find a solution that will work for residents and visitors alike. It won’t be long before the lake is open to the public again.
Photo credit: Linda West, Lake Conroe resident