WATER EDGING OVER SPILLWAY

  

The water level at Lake Somerville has reached the top of the emergency spillway—barely.

Officials with Burleson and Washington counties and Somerville Police report that the water is up to the very edge of the spillway and the waves off the lake are lapping over.

As of 8:00 Saturday night, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the water level at Lake Somerville stood at 258.05 feet—five-hundredths-of-a-foot over the 258-foot limit, or the equivalent of about a half inch.

The level is now a full 20 feet above the normal level of 238-feet.

Washington County Emergency Management issued a statement Friday night:

Take precautions. Due to the recent heavy rain fall and flooding of creeks and rivers, the water level at Lake Somerville is extremely high. The water is very near going over the uncontrolled spillway. This means that once it starts going over the spillway, there is no way to control the volume of water headed down stream. The water is over the road at FM 50 and Yegua Creek, and FM 50 is closed. Water is over the road at FM 1948 and the Yegua Creek Bridge, and FM 1948 is closed. The Brazos River is full and on the verge of coming out of its banks.  Residents in these areas should strongly consider voluntary evacuation of themselves, their family, and pets while some of the roads are still passable. There are also 19 county roads that are closed due to water over the road or damage to the road from the water. There is more rain forecasted for Saturday and Sunday which will make the water levels rise even more. We are working very closely with the National Weather Service, US Army CORPS, Burleson County OEM, and TXDOT to monitor this situation and provide updates as necessary.  Stay tuned to local media for further. REMEMBER: TURN AROUND DON’T DROWN