Flooding victims in a subdivision that I lived in once some 18 yrs ago are going thru the same nightmare I once experienced ,it lies just north of Houston and just south of The Woodlands devolopment. Lake Conroe and The Texas River Authority back in 1994, had released a historical record amount of water from its damn due to flooding conditions .If you Flash forward to todays events it seems their doing the same exact action on the events at hand.Being a man made lake ,resorvior ,doesnt this responsability for water release begin with the safety of property and home of others.The Hoover dam and others like it surely keep close tabs on river runs and the bench marks their required to keep to help residents and farms down the line .What makes the powers to be here keep water as high as they can for the beauty of the lake then let it out when its gets overwelmingly high and becomes someone elses problem down river?

Because if you think it is bad now then just wait until the water starts to come over the top of the dam and flips it.

Every dam has one overriding priority: The operation of the dam. Water is impounded to provide for the water needs of the area. Water is released to make power or to protect the dam. When a heavy storm, like the one Houston is receiving now, comes along a lot of water has to be released or the dam could give way.

If you live in a flood prone area then you have to ask yourself 'Why'?

I dont and it wasnt,this was not recorded as a flood zoned area until the 1994 flooding happened,at least the House were I lived in at that time ,it requires some history that I might not be adding here but there it is.The Woodlands development corp. did very well in building and designing large deep ditches and runoff staging retentions to bi pass them from flooding and that could be the answer ,the rest of the area did not.My question leads back to this ,combined with the current flooded areas ,how can they call it responsible water control when they release another flood onto people and property .The dam can be released for seasonal purposes and to keep it at its highest level marks makes my doubt theirs any control at all.

I think it all comes down to who owns the dam. If it is a private developer, which in the Woodlands area it just might be, then who knows who is running things.

If it is the Corps of Engineers then they would know what they are doing.

It might be that the Corp will have to do a buy-out in the area. It has been done before.

I was there in 94 and in Dallas in 89 when the lakes flooded here. The lakes are lowered in Spring expecting rains but when they come suddenly the lakes fill too quickly. The person who said the dam itself could be in danger was spot on. Sometimes Mother nature doesn't read the spec sheet on flood control projects.

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MB-less

if its the corp.look out.they screwed the pooch on the missouri last year.and all because of up state recreation.they knew they were gonna have to release a butt load of water because of the spring snowmelt.but they waited about 3 weeks to say anything and by then it was too late.did billions of dollars in damages and what does the corp say??oh well thats the way it goes sometimes.

Its strange how some authorities around this subject believe its mother natures fault when in truth their power to put safe guards up to protect others down river with lowered seasonal resorvior levels could be in place.This should be mandated and have local control ,people that live in the area have more to risk than some govt paid job jockie that lives 3 states away.