Controlled releases of stormwater from Addicks and Barker reservoirs into Buffalo Bayou -- at a combined total of 13,300 cubic feet per second -- continue as planned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
"These discharge rates have continued steady since Friday afternoon and will not impact additional structures downstream along Buffalo Bayou," according to the Harris County Flood Control District.
The Corps maintains that message higher-than-normal controlled releases will likely continue through the second week of September from the reservoirs into Buffalo Bayou as the Corps works to lower water levels in both reservoirs.
The homes already affected by the release rates are expect to have the current water level stay that way for an extended period of time, "but no additional structures would be impacted," according to the HCFCD. "The reservoir gates are at no risk of failure and the earthen dams, which are continually monitored by the Corps, are fine."
Current pool levels in the Addicks and Barker reservoirs are below their peak and continue falling. Corps officials will monitor weather forecasts and will make the decision whether or not to close the reservoir gates again, in advance of any future storms moving into the region.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates the reservoirs, which were built in the 1940s to protect against flooding in downtown Houston and the Houston Ship Channel. Outlet gates were later added as a further safety measure so that stormwater releases could be controlled to minimize downstream flooding risks.
Questions about reservoirs can be directed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Galveston District Emergency Operations Center at 409-766-6377; online, at swg.usace.army.mil; on Facebook, at facebook.com/GalvestonDistrict; or on Twitter, under the handle USACEgalveston.