Flooding Concerns Continue For Dallas
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - More rain is in the weather forecast on Tuesday, and it continues throughout the rest of the week. All of this rainfall has the City of Dallas making preparations for potential flooding.
The concern is that the coming storms will push water levels even higher. Banks along the Trinity River, Lake Bardwell, Lake Lewisville, Lake Ray Roberts, Lake Lavon and Lake Grapevine are all being monitored over the next 72 hours. The rain could push any of those areas into a moderate flood stage.
This is the first time since 2007 that the Trinity River is filled with water from levy to levy. It is in a minor flood stage.
Water pumped off of Dallas streets ends up in the river. That, combined with the controlled release of water from some lakes, is expected to raise the river's water level even more. City leaders said that we are not close to breaching the levy, but water may be flowing faster than people realize.
"When we have three inches of rain coming in a really short time, a lot of creeks and channels overflow," stated Dhruv Pandya with Trinity Watershed Management. "If our citizens and patrons don't pay attention and heed to warnings, it creates a risk."
Should any major waterways begin to flood, it could create potentially hazardous high water conditions across Dallas or surrounding cities. However, city officials said that pedestrians and cyclists are ignoring flood warning signs along the trails and putting themselves in danger. Areas that look like standing water could actually be swift-moving water, and it could spell trouble.
Also, trash scattered by recent flooding could block storm drains during the next round of rain. Anyone who spots some type of debris buildup in a drain is asked to call 311.
However, as threatening as the situation may look, the Army Corps of Engineers explained that its flood control system is working as designed, and there is no risk for an uncontrolled spill at this time.
Dams store the floodwaters and the Army Corps of Engineers makes release decisions as needed to mitigate the impact of flooding downstream.
The Army Corps of Engineers relies on 400 monitoring stations placed throughout its system of eight reservoirs. Heavy rain would have already produced significant flooding if the proper controls were not in place. Right now, we are at just 60 percent of flood storage capacity at our reservoirs.
Still, helicopters will be on standby this week in case they are needed for water rescues.