How a problem at Lake Livingston Dam could impact water for millions in Houston

HOUSTON – A Lake Livingston dam is now being monitored due to “potential failure.”

The Trinity River Authority, which oversees Lake Livingston, the dam and the Trinity River, shared the statement Friday.

Crews discovered the spillway was “severely impacted by recent heavy rains and flooding,” according to a statement shared with KPRC 2.

The Trinity River Authority did not provide additional information about the damage to the spillway or what prompted the declaration.

“While there is no immediate danger of the dam breaking or breaching, the potential exists, however remote,” the statement said.

Although Lake Livingston is located more than 80 miles from downtown Houston, millions of people could be left high and dry if something happens to the lake’s water supply.

The city of Houston relies on water flowing from Lake Livingston, over the dam and into the Trinity River for drinking water.

According to the Houston Department of Public Works, more than three million people use the river’s water every day.

“The City of Houston draws raw water for the East and Southeast Water Purification Plants from the Trinity River Pumping Station, 35 miles downstream from Lake Livingston Dam,” a Public Works spokesperson told KPRC 2’s Gage Goulding on Saturday. “These two water purification plants serve water to more than 3 million customers in the Greater Houston metropolitan area.”

This is not a few drops of water extracted from the Trinity River.

Every day, about 806 million gallons of water are pumped from the Trinity River and used for drinking water, according to a 2020 presentation to the Houston City Council.

This equates to about 57% of the city’s daily water supply.

Simply put, that’s a lot of water.

It is so important that if for some reason the spillway were to fail or even be completely closed for repairs, we could be in big trouble.

City of Houston Public Works provides water not only to city residents, but also to residents of Harris County and three surrounding counties.

“If the operation of Lake Livingston Dam were compromised and storage was not available, the pump station would continue to draw water from the Trinity River,” a Public Works spokesperson said. “There could be potential disruption to water pressure and supply during periods of peak water demand and low flows on the Trinity River. Additional water conservation measures may then be necessary. »

The city of Houston obtains water from other sources to meet demand for 172 billion gallons of water per year, according to statistics provided by Public Works. That’s enough to fill the Astrodome four times, every day.

There is a problem, however: they wouldn’t have enough water to make up for the potential loss if the Trinity River no longer provided them with water.

“The alternate water source from Lake Houston via the West Canal does not provide a sufficient water supply to keep the entire Trinty River-supported service area safe from potential disruptions,” a Public Works spokesperson said.

While Lake Livingston Dam is under monitoring for “potential failure,” the Trinity River Authority says the risk of failure is “low.”

KPRC 2 requested additional information regarding the spillway damage. The Trinity River Authority did not respond to our request.