FORT WORTH, Texas – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, in keeping with its flood risk reduction charter, continues to monitor recent flooding at Lake O’ the Pines and the Cypress Basin in Texas.
Lake O’ the Pines is receiving floodwater runoff from recent storms and is currently operating in flood pool with an elevation of 233.21 feet as of 8 a.m. Operating according to plan, gates at Lake O’ the Pines are currently closed and the project is functioning as designed to reduce impacts of flood damage downstream.
Fort Worth District will release water from Lake O’ the Pines if the flow of Big Cypress Bayou at Karnack recedes below 7,000 cubic feet per second or the Lake O’ the Pines water level exceeds 236 feet. As of this morning, the flow at Karnack was 11,500 cubic feet per second and may peak sometime this weekend. Based on current runoff upstream of Lake O’ the Pines, the lake level is expected to crest near 235.5 feet.
The Corps of Engineers is concerned for public safety, and urges boaters to wear life jackets and use caution while navigating. Floodwaters have created unfamiliar boating conditions, changed shorelines, and submerged objects such as picnic tables, signs, and debris.
Lake O’ the Pines floodwaters will be released as safety permits; however it may take several weeks for the lake level to return to conservation pool. Visit the Fort Worth District Web site at www.swf.usace.army.mil or Reservoir Control’s Web Site at http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil.
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About the Fort Worth District: The Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was established in 1950. The District is responsible for water resources development in two-thirds of Texas, and design and construction at military installations in Texas and parts of Louisiana and New Mexico. Visit the Fort Worth District Web site at:
www.swf.usace.army.mil and SWF Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fort-Worth-District-US-Army-Corps-of-Engineers/188083711219308.
Release no. 15-013