POLK COUNTY, Texas – After being adversely impacted by heavy rainfall and flooding last year, a Texas congressman has announced a $30-million grant has been approved to fund repairs at the Lake Livingston dam.
Congressman Pete Sessions, who represents Texas 17th Congressional District, announced the Trinity River Authority (TRA) has received the grant from FEMA for the repairs.
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The grant will reimburse TRA for their work to restore the infrastructure.
Lake Livingston provides water not only to many communities in East Texas, but also to Houston.
“I am pleased to assist the TRA in this matter. Lake Livingston provides critical infrastructure to Houston and the East Texas region. These damages were costly and required swift repair which TRA provided. Thank you to FEMA Region 6 for their hard work in expediting the distribution of these funds, TDEM for their swift assistance, and to TRA General Manager Kevin Ward, TRA Board of Directors President Megan Deen, and TRA Board Member Jeff Bradley for their leadership,” Congressman Sessions said.
Last year, the dam set a record for water flowing from its spillway at 124,000 cfs, according to data obtained by KPRC 2’s Gage Goulding.
As a result of the high flow, the TRA said it discovered damage to the dam and the stilling basin and announced a “potential failure watch.”
“Although there is no immediate danger of either failure or breach of the dam, the potential does exist however remote it might be,” the TRA said in a statement at the time. “The day-to-day operation of the dam will continue as necessary, although normal gate operations may vary as conditions dictate.”
After discovering the damage and declaring it “emergency condition that requires immediate action,” repairs were conducted last year on rip rap, a layer of large stones, and clay the whole way to the apron of the dam.
“As the General Manager of the Trinity River Authority of Texas, I know firsthand how hard Congressman Sessions works for his district and for the State of Texas,” said TRA General Manager Kevin Ward. “The Congressman and his staff shepherded this grant and did not quit until the funds were received. Lake Livingston provides water to our nation’s fourth-largest city and most of the petrochemical industry, and Congressman Sessions and his team understood the importance and urgency of this matter.”