Houston-area lake levels dropped ahead of week-long storm – Houston Public Media

In anticipation of increased precipitation throughout the week, river authorities have begun lowering water levels on Houston-area lakes.

There is a 70 percent chance that a tropical depression will form in the Gulf of Mexico this week, according to the National Weather Service, which predicts five to eight inches of potential rain that would inundate the city.

Street flooding is a concern in areas with heavier rainfall. The weather service is warning of possible flooding of rivers, bayous and streams in some areas.

Officials began lowering Lake Houston by 12 inches Sunday morning. It would take about 24 hours to lower the lake, according to Houston Public Works.

The City of Houston has asked the San Jacinto River Authority to divert water from Lake Conroe to Lake Houston through the West Fork of the river. River authorities began releasing water at a rate of 660 cubic feet per second over the weekend.

The city and river authority share a water rights permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for Lake Conroe. The city of Houston owns two-thirds of Lake Conroe’s water rights and the river authority owns the rest.

The total lake level is 201 feet above mean sea level. As of Monday morning, the lake was at 200.73 feet, slowly falling.

Property owners should secure their homes along the shoreline in anticipation of increased precipitation throughout the week, according to Houston Public Works.

The potentially damaging system forming in the Bay of Campeche is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm by mid-week and slowly drift northwest. High winds and rip currents are expected along the upper Texas coast, according to the NWS.

The weather service encourages people to regularly check weather updates for increased flood risks and to have multiple ways to receive weather alerts.