Excessive rainfall around Houston, Texas, has pushed authorities to conduct an emergency release of water from an overfilled dam, while a local judge declared a disaster due to the hazardous conditions.
Montgomery County officials said on Wednesday evening that the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) had begun releasing storm water from Lake Conroe Dam, to the north of Houston, at a rate of 16,500 cubic feet a second. The SJRA later said it had raised the release rate to 19,525 cubic feet per second.
Lake Conroe was last recorded at a level of 203.97 feet, while the releases are aimed to take it back to its normal level of 201 feet, as well as "protecting the integrity of the dam," the authority said.
U.S. Geological Survey monitoring shows that the San Jacinto River immediately south of the Lake Conroe dam had risen from under 15 feet on Monday to over 38 feet.
Montgomery County officials stressed on Wednesday morning that the river south of the dam was "well within its banks and is NOT nearing flood stage at this time." However, monitoring of the river to the south of the town of Conroe shows that as of Thursday morning it was at 113.5 feet, with flooding estimated to begin if it reaches 115.8 feet.
Trey Baxter, emergency management specialist with the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, told Newsweek that while the comment had been accurate at the time, it now anticipates "the water level to gradually rise into the moderate or major flood stage later today."
"We have been closely monitoring the levels of all rivers and creeks within Montgomery County and also remain in constant communication with all of our partner agencies," he said. "We currently have one shelter open in the county and stand ready to immediately open more if the need arises. Also, there are pre-positioned state resources in the county to assist with rescues if needed."
The excessive rainfall in the region has created areas of flooding across the Montgomery County and the wider Houston area. Officials advised locals against driving through high waters and said emergency services "have been actively rescuing motorists who have ignored these warnings."
Local news station KHOU said 12 people, five dogs and a horse had been rescued from floodwaters, citing county officials.
The National Weather Service station in Houston has issued a flood warning for much of the county until noon CT on Thursday, while a flood watch remains in effect for Houston and Galveston. The meteorological agency forecast that up to 4 inches of rain could fall due to ongoing thunderstorms.
It said in a forecast discussion that it expects several pockets of strong storms to bring rainfall of up to 4 inches an hour to some parts, but that these will move away come sunrise and be replaced by lighter showers. Another storm, with the "limited" threat of heavy rain, is anticipated to arrive in the region on Friday evening.
The recent flooding prompted Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough to sign a disaster declaration on Wednesday, which "activated all available resources throughout the county to address the immediate needs," he said in a statement.
He added that releases from Lake Conroe would continue as inflows into it from regions to the north had not yet crested.
Update 1/25/24, 8:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Trey Baxter of the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
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