Lake Conroe is officially “full.” At approximately 11:30 A.M. on Tuesday, May 13th, the water elevation of Lake Conroe reached 201.00 feet above mean sea level. This is the first time that Lake Conroe has been at full pool elevation since April 25, 2010.

The following are a few key points regarding the lake conditions:

• Measuring a moving, sloshing lake surface is difficult, so the actual reading will continue to fluctuate until the winds die down. In addition, we are experiencing a sustained north wind, so some of the reading is due to wave action and water being pushed up against the dam.
• There is still a lot of water draining from the watershed, so the lake will continue to rise for many hours, possibly even a few days.
• As of 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, May 13th, we are not releasing any water from the gates. There is a small amount of spillage over the service outlet overflow, but it is minimal. Our philosophy with regard to releasing water is to hold off as long as possible and allow the lake to rise a little above 201 provided we stay within the parameters of our approved operating plan. We will continue to monitor the forecast and the rate of continued lake level rise to determine if and when we might need to let some water out. There is still additional rain in the forecast, which has to be taken into account.
• The last time water was released through the main gates due to being over 201 was March 21, 2010.
• During this rainfall event, rainfall totals across the Lake Conroe watershed ranged from 1.5 to 3.5 inches.
• The total measured rainfall at the Lake Conroe dam year-to-date is 12.7 inches. The “normal” year-to-date rainfall for this time of year is approximately 18.5 inches. Even though we are considerably behind for the year in terms of rainfall totals, the lake level continues to hold strong

For additional information regarding Lake Conroe, including current and historic lake level and rainfall information, please visit www.sjra.net.