LCA PRESIDENT’S UPDATE as of June 17, 2018
We just received letters from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Copies of the letters will be posted to our LCA website. Key statements follow:
“As TCEQ understands, SJRA, in coordination with The City of Houston, have developed an emergency driven seasonal strategy for managing the water reservoirs during periods of heavy rainfall. TCEQ further understands that these measures would be utilized only on a temporary basis to mitigate flooding while dredging activities are completed. Those measures include releases under certain conditions from Lake Conroe or Lake Houston as determined necessary to mitigate impacts from future flood events. Additionally, according to SJRA, the lake lowering strategy would be reviewed and evaluated annually in February and must be agreed on by the SJRA Board and The City of Houston to continue.”
“As we move into the 2018 Hurricane Season, in which we have already seen one named storm, the Agency recognizes the need to protect public health and safety by addressing and mitigating potential flooding. Accordingly, if flood mitigation releases made under these conditions result in an exceedance of the annual permitted amounts authorized for diversion or release by SJRA or The City of Houston, the TCEQ Executive Director will exercise enforcement discretion with respect to such exceedance.”
In other words, SJRA WILL BE LOWERING LAKE LEVELS ON LAKE CONROE.
Further, WATER RELEASED FOR FLOOD CONTROL WILL NOT COUNT AGAINST THE APPROXIMATE 5’ OF WATER AUTHORIZED PER YEAR FOR WATER SALES AND/OR CONSUMPTION.
I release this information prior to newspaper publication or discussion amongst the LCA Board in an effort to get this information to you immediately. As the LCA Board has not yet discussed this new information, I have no report on any next action by the LCA.
For all of us on Lake Conroe, this is not good news. As written to me by State Representative Metcalf, “This is obviously not the news we were hoping to hear. Senator Nichols and I will continue to work with our colleagues and others in Austin and Montgomery County to ensure the most protection possible for Lake Conroe.”
From some of you, we expect to hear an outcry for litigation. I am not a lawyer, but I’m guessing it’s an uphill (and extremely expensive) battle to fight decisions made by TCEQ, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Texas Division of Emergency Management…..and endorsed by Governor Abbott. For the lawyers in and around Lake Conroe, I’m certainly open to your feedback. The LCA does have lawyers who have offered assistance in this matter, and we will contact them for feedback as well.
Mike Bleier, President
Lake Conroe Association