For the first time in five years water is being released from Lavon Lake.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who is the owner and operator of the lake, said recent rain events filled the lake above the normal conservation pool, into the flood pool, on Saturday, April 25 by nearly a foot, bringing the water level to 492 feet mean sea level (msl).
At the start of this year, Lavon Lake was well below the full conservation mark at 479.19 feet.
Jim Chapman Lake, which is also owned and operated by the USACE, also reached its full conservation pool of 440 feet on Saturday with an elevation of 440.60 feet.
"When water levels rise into flood pool, which is above normal conservation pool, USACE releases water as needed to protect lives and property. On Monday morning, April 27, 2015, USACE began releasing 750 cubic feet per second (cfs) at Jim Chapman Lake and 1,100 cfs at Lavon Lake in accordance with USACE water control plans. Releases cease when the level returns to the normal conservation pool," the North Texas Municipal Water District said in a news release Monday.
When it's released at the south end of the lake, the water flows through the East Fork of the Trinity River and into Lake Ray Hubbard. Lake Ray Hubbard is, as of this writing, 3.61 feet below the flood pool.
Elsewhere around North Texas, the following lakes and reservoirs have reached 100 percent capacity: Cedar Creek, Jim Chapman, Joe Pool, Lavon, Lewisville, Mountain Creek, Palestine and Sam Rayburn. Other area lakes are close to capacity including Lake Arlington (96.3 percent), Lake Ray Roberts (97.5 percent) and Lake Grapevine (90 percent).
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Lake Ray Hubbard (83.8 percent), Lake Benbrook (81 percent), Lake Granbury (77 percent), Lake Worth (73.3 percent), Eagle Mountain Lake (72.7 percent), Lake Whitney (69.8 percent), Possum Kingdom Lake (64.6 percent) and Lake Bridgeport (38.4 percent) are continuing to fill up from recent rain.
