LIVINGSTON, Texas – Construction crews are working around the clock to make repairs to the Lake Livingston Dam after near-historic rainfall caused damage to the dam.
The Lake Livingston Dam, built in 1969, suffered scouring and erosion in the stilling basin (the pool just after the spillway) and east training wing wall (along the side of the pool after the spillway) following a record discharge of water from the dam.
According to documents filed with federal regulators, 124,000 cfs of water was being sent over the spillway and down the Trinity River.
On Wednesday, KPRC2′s Gage Goulding uncovered documents filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission outlining the damage done to the dam.
The Trinity River Authority, which oversees Lake Livingston and the dam, then spoke with KPRC2 about the repairs being made.
Lake Livingston is the state’s third-largest lake and plays a major role in providing drinking water for the City of Houston and surrounding counties. Houston Public Works says roughly 70% of the city’s daily drinking water comes from the Trinity River downstream of the Lake Livingston Dam.
Leaders of the Trinity River Authority say they are targeting “critical areas of concern” for repair ahead of any tropical systems, including Hurricane Beryl.
On Monday the General Manager of the Trinity River Authority says a massive operation to pump concrete more than two feet underneath the water will begin.
All work at the dam should be wrapped up by the end of the month.