Houston City Council Member Dave Martin would like to thank Mayor Turner and the Coastal Water Authority for opening all gates at the Lake Houston Spillway Dam.
This afternoon the District E Office confirmed with the Director of Houston Public Works, Carol Haddock, that both Tainter Gates and both Flashboard Gates are fully opened. A Tainter gate is a type of radial arm floodgate used in dam and canal locks to control water flow. A Flashboard gate is an overflow-type dam commonly used to control water level. Water flows over the top of the board and is released at a level below the top of the dam to another body of water. These four gates are the only adjustable controls currently available on the Dam structure.
The two Tainter Gates measure 20.5 feet tall and 18 feet across while the two much smaller Flashboard Gates measure 5 feet tall and 18 feet across. The maximum controlled discharge capacity is 10,000 cfs, which is restricted due to the number and size of the gates on the Dam infrastructure.
Currently, there are 21,000 cfs being discharged from the Lake Houston Dam, which includes water flowing over the uncontrolled spillway. The elevation of water at the Dam yesterday was 43.73 feet and the normal pool elevation is 42.5 feet. The Lake is up a little over a foot above the normal pool elevation at the Dam currently, as all gates remain open.
For more information,please contact Council Member Martin's office by calling (832)393-3008 or via email at districte@houstontx.gov.