State Rep. Mike Schofield (photo courtesy Mike Schofield)
Barker dam expected to crest at 104 to 104.5 feet
Little, if any, water expected to flow around the dam
I just spoke to both the Army Corps of Engineers and the Harris County Flood Control District, and they both agree that under current models and weather forecasts, they expect Barker to crest at 104 to 104.5 feet. They anticipate that to the extent any water goes around the dam, the ditches the water would flow into should be able to handle it, so that no one’s property would be impacted.
Many people have asked how to determine their home’s elevation. You can go on either the flood control district’s website at www.HCFCD.org or www.readyharris.org. ReadyHarris may be more reliable, since the volume of traffic has caused the flood control district’s website to crash intermittently. I used www.distancesto.com (at the suggestion of Ed Sarlls.)
Note that if you are much more than half a mile from the dam, you shouldn’t be affected regardless of your elevation. If you are in the affected area and are above 104.5 feet elevation, you should not expect water from the dam unless the forecast gets markedly worse (which, thankfully, we are not expecting).
Things are a little worse over at Addicks, which has a capacity of 108 feet, but is at 110 feet, resulting in some water going around the dam. The flood control district tells me that the water is going around the end in a slow trickle (as opposed to a torrent). They estimate the water at six inches to a foot and believe that no structures are at risk.
The situation at Addicks is not affecting the amount of release from the two dams into the Buffalo Bayou, which is proceeding apace and which should protect the neighborhoods upstream of the dams. In HD 132, that is the neighborhoods west of Barker dam.
For a video released this afternoon by the corps explaining the Barker situation, go to the army corps of engineers Galveston division Facebook page.
One note for after the storm: Even prior to the tax day floods, Congress had approved $75-$80 million to update the outlet structures at the dams, so we will be getting updated equipment soon. The current gates were constructed after World War II and are nearing the end of their useful life. So, as much as I’d like to take credit for the new equipment when it is installed, it was on its way already (and I’m a state official, so I had nothing to do with it, anyway).
Reliable information
For information you can rely on, check with the county’s emergency management web site at: http://readyharris.org/
Other good sources of information include:
*Centerpoint’s live power outage tracker: http://gis.centerpointenergy.com/outagetracker/
*Harris County flood warning system: https://www.harriscountyfws.org/
*Transtar’s high water tracker for the roadways: www.traffic.houstontranstar.org/roadclosures/#highwater
*TxDOT’s list of closed and flooded roadwasys: www.drivetexas.org
Please take every precaution to make sure that you and your family are safe.
Keep safe while we ride this storm out and be ready to begin our recovery efforts after the storm is over.
God bless Texas!
Mike Schofield
State Representative
House District 132
Katy & Cypress