Hurricane Harvey: Addicks, Barker Controlled Releases Continue; Rumors About Breach Untrue

HOUSTON, TX — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Sunday that controlled releases of stormwater from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs into the Buffalo Bayou are continuing and any homes already affected by the release would continue to experience the current water levels for an extended amount of time. The Corps said that no additional structures would be impacted.

On Saturday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner ordered a mandatory evacuation of residents in flooded West Houston homes inundated by the release from the reservoirs. Centerpoint Energy turned off electricity to the impacted homes starting Sunday morning. Turner stressed that the evacuation order only applied to those whose homes were flooded.

Controlled releases from the reservoirs will likely continue through the second week of September as the Corps works to lower water levels in both reservoirs. (For more hurricane news or local news from Houston, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Houston Patch, and click here to find your local Texas Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The Corps also stressed that the reservoir gates are at no risk of failure and the earthen dams are fine.

The Corps also addressed rumors that outflows are being increased from the two reservoirs, saying this was not true and there is no plan to increase flows. They also said that both dams are operating as expected and rumors about a break or a breach are not true.

Photo:Jessica Anderson, with her husband Darrell and daughters Lauren, and Harper view floodwaters in Addicks Reservoir from a closed freeway in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in Houston. Photo by Charlie Riedel/Associated Press