HOUSTON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Three dams in Houston area began to release water Monday morning due to a dramatic rise in the water level brought by Tropical Storm Harvey.
Officials said the decision to release water from overfilled reservoirs is to avoid a collapse of the reservoirs' dam.
Just 72 hours into the storm, Lake Conroe dam watershed has received an average of 46 inches of rainfall, forcing the water level to rise 130 cm above normal pool elevation, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) reported.
"SJRA operations personnel at the Lake Conroe dam have increased the rate of release to 39,600 cubic feet per second. This is a new record release rate for Lake Conroe," SJRA reported.
There's still a tremendous volume of water flowing into the reservoir, and Lake Conroe personnel are working to slow down the rise while rain continues to pummel the area, SJRA added.
The Lake Conroe dam isn't the only one being pushed to its limit. Rising levels in Addicks and Barker reservoirs also force authorities to release water from both dams Monday.
Officials said the water levels in the reservoirs have increased dramatically. As of Monday morning, the reservoirs have risen 65 cm for Addicks and Barker, officials said another 65 cm could occur.
Residents along Addicks and Barker reservoirs are being asked as part of non-mandatory evacuation to leave their homes, as the engineers start a slow, controlled release of water the reservoirs.
Flooding may become worse in some areas due to the release of water, officials said.
The slow-moving Hurricane Harvey has caused catastrophic flooding in Houston and other places of Texas. And forecasts expect more heavy rainfall in the coming days.
