Lake Conroe Facts and Fiction

updates regarding the San Jacinto River Authority's activities on Lake Conroe.     First the FICTION:    There has been a rumor circulating that the San Jacinto River Authority intends to lower the normal pool elevation of Lake Conroe from 201' MSL to 199' MSL.  This is completely false.  When I first heard this rumor, I thought it was so illogical that it wouldn't gain any traction or credibility, but it has been surprisingly persistent.  So let me be clear:  There have been no plans, discussions, or thoughts of lowering the normal pool elevation of Lake Conroe.  In fact, it would be entirely counter-productive from every possible perspective, including water storage and supply.  The whole purpose of a water supply reservoir is to keep it as full as possible as much of the time as possible so that you can make it through prolonged droughts.  Please spread the word that this rumor is untrue.    Another rumor that has circulated recently claimed that the SJRA has been releasing water either for sale to downstream customers or to intentionally keep the lake level below 199' MSL.  Again, these statements are completely false.  There have been no releases of water from the dam since the releases to the City of Houston ended back on November 30, 2011.  Since that time, the lake level has simply risen and fallen in response to rainfall and evaporation.  There is no logical reason why the SJRA would want to keep the lake level artificially low.   Now for a few FACTS:   Lake Conroe hit a new record low lake level (192.68' MSL) back on December 2, 2011, after almost two years of record breaking drought.  Since that time, with rainfall amounts at Lake Conroe still being slightly below average for 2012, the lake has risen over 6 feet to as high as 199' MSL.  However, we have still not made it back to full.  In late-June and early-July, there were a couple of major rainfall events that resulted in flooding in southern Montgomery County and parts of Harris County.  Many people questioned why Lake Conroe had not filled during these major rains.  The simple answer is that there just wasn't enough rainfall in the RIGHT LOCATIONS.  In order for rainfall to impact the level of Lake Conroe, it has to fall in Lake Conroe's watershed.  Lake Conroe's watershed is located almost entirely north of the Lake Conroe dam, and most of the heavy rain and flooding during June and July occurred in Harris County and southern Montgomery County.    The good news is that the current US Seasonal Drought Outlook predicts no drought conditions for our area for the next few months.  Going into the fall rainy season, we are in a good position to see continued improvement in lake level.   Recent construction activity on the lake:   You may have noticed several cranes being assembled at the west end of the Lake Conroe dam over the past few weeks.  These cranes are part of the construction project to build a surface water treatment plant at Lake Conroe.  Two barges have been constructed, and two of the cranes will operate from the barges to construct a raw water intake structure.  The other two cranes will remain on land to off-load material and equipment from the barges.  The actual on-the-water construction will all take place within the restricted area indicated by warning buoys along the dam.  For more information about the treatment plant construction, including a video animation of the plant, please visit our GRP Division's website atwww.sjra.net/grp.	San Jacinto River Authority PO Box 329 Conroe, TX  77305 (936) 588-1111 (936) 588-3043 fax