(Elyse Samuels/The Washington Post)Early Monday morning, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began releasing water from two Houston dams because water levels in their reservoirs were rising more than half a foot per hour, the result of extreme rainfall from Harvey. The Addicks and Barker reservoirs, which flank Interstate 10 on the west side of Houston, both flow into the Buffalo Bayou and are surrounded by parks and residential areas. Officials said the water levels had “increased dramatically” late Sunday night, leaving them with two choices: To begin releasing water through the dam gates earlier than expected — or risk it spilling out suddenly around the ends of the dams. Because of that, the release from Addicks Reservoir had been slated to start at 2 a.m. Monday, and from Barker Reservoir a day later. Around 2:30 a.m. Monday, however, the rapidly rising water levels prompted the Army Corps to begin releasing water from both reservoirs.

Source: Washington Post August 28, 2017 15:00 UTC