Hurricane Harvey: Engineers Scramble To Save Thousands Of Homes As Houston Floodwaters Push Reservoirs To Brink

HOUSTON, TX — The Army Corps of Engineers will release of millions of gallons of water from Addicks and Barker Reservoirs, into Buffalo Bayou, a move officials have said is necessary to prevent greater damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday that the Addicks Reservoir was nearing spillway capacity at 108 feet and could overflow its banks, creating an uncontrolled release of water into numerous neighborhoods in west Houston that would flood thousands more homes in the Houston area. (Want to get daily updates about Hurricane Harvey and other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free Houston Patch morning newsletter.)

See Also: Hurricane Harvey Paces Back Into The Gulf While Texans Show Resiliency

Jeff Linder, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District, said it would take some time for the water levels to drop, emphasizing the unprecedented circumstances of Hurricane Harvey.

“This is something we've never seen before,” he said.

The uncontrolled spillage of water from the dam sent flood waters into several neighborhoods, causing floodwaters to creep into more than 3,000 homes.

The affected neighborhoods include:

Barker Reservoir Subdivisions

Arcadia

Arcadia Court
Cinco Ranch Equestrian Village

Estates of Baker Lane

Flagstone Estates

Green Trails

Green Trails Crossing

Green Trails Forest

Green Trails Village

Green Trails Oaks

Green Trails Park

Green Trails Village

Heatherwood Park

Highland Trails

Kelliwood

Kelliwood Enclave

Kelliwood Gardens

Kelliwood in Nottingham Country

Kelliwood Lakes

Kelliwood Place

Kelliwood Trails

Kingsland Acres

Kingsland Estates

Krystal Lakes Estates

Lakeforest of Kelliwood

Lakes of Buckingham

Lakes of Buckingham Kelliwood

Memorial Parkway
Memorial Parkway Village

Nottingham Country

Oak Park Trails

Parklake Village

Parkview at Barker Cypress

Ricefield Village

Stonelodge

University Park West

West Side Forest

Westgreen Park

Willowgreen Park

Willow Park Greens

Windsor Park Estates

Windsor Park Lakes

Addicks Reservoir subdivisions

Barker Addition

Barker Crossing

Barkers Branch

Barkers Crossing

Bear Creek Central

Bear Creek Estates

Bear Creek Farms

Bear Creek Trails

Bear Creek Village

Bear Creek West

Bradford Colony

Clay Hill Park

Clay Hills Plaza

Clay Meadows

Concord Bridge

Concord Bridge North

Concord Colony

Cypress Parke

Eldridge Park

Estates at Cullen Park

Feste Park at Bear Creek Village

Forest Village

Georgetown Colony

Glencairn

Glencairn Park

Glencairn South

Hearthstone Place

Jamestown Colony
Lake Harbor

Lakes of Eldridge North

Lakes of Pine Forest

Lakes on Eldridge

Lakes on Eldridge North

Landing at Park Harbor

Langham Creek Colony

Mayde Creek Farms

Park Harbor

Park Harbor Estates

Park Harbor Oaks

Park Place Center

Pine Forest Green

Pine Forest Landing

Pine Forest Village

Ranch at Barker Cypress

Savannah Estates

Timber Creek Place

Twin Lakes

Villages at Lakepoint

Westlake

Westlake Forest

Westlake Place

Yorktown Crossing

On Monday, officials began a controlled release of 2,600 cubic feet per second of water from the Addicks Reservoir, and 2,000 cubic feet per second from the Barker Reservoir, which both flow into Buffalo Bayou.

The increase, Linder said, would happen over several days as y increase the amount of water released from Addicks and Barker.

“Buffalo Bayou is continuing to drain its water at this time,” Linder said. “A majority of the water is from the rainfall event we had on Saturday and Sunday. The bayou is receding in the region of downtown Houston upstream to about Loop 610.”

Linder said the region from the Loop to the dams is also holding steady, but that
floodwater flowing into the reservoirs from Waller, Ft. Bend and west Harris counties than is being released.

Related: Hurricane Harvey: Flood Control District Releases More Water Into Buffalo Bayou

The release is needed to not only reduce the risk of an uncontrolled release from the dams, but to alleviate the flooding upstream that has occurred in the San Jacinto River, Spring Creek and Cypress Creek.

In some areas upstream, the water is so high that the flood gauges have washed away and are not recording data, Linder said.

Edmund Russo with the Army Corps of Engineers said the reservoirs have taken in about 25 inches of water in recent days and that even with a release the reservoirs contnue to rise at a rate of four inches per hour.

"This event has the potential to exceed a 1,000-year flood plain threshold," Russo said.

Harvey's Onslaught: People evacuate a neighborhood inundated by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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