The integrity of the Lake Livingston Dam has drawn fresh concerns after a London-based satellite risk assessment company, Value.Space, identified what they described as "significant deformation" in the dam's structure. While the Trinity River Authority (TRA) had already flagged the dam on "potential failure watch" due to damages inflicted by a severe derecho storm and subsequent heavy rainfall, the independent analysis by Value.Space, reported by Click2Houston, highlights troubling trends in the dam's spillway.
A "potential failure watch" was initiated by TRA after a partial failure was discovered on the dam's left wing, alongside damage to the stilling basin; however, officials have reassured that there is no immediate threat to the structure's overall stability. The initial damage assessment and ongoing repair efforts were first reported by KHOU 11 News, marking a consistent monitoring effort by the authorities since the storm hit in May and continuing inspections through June.
Value.Space's founders, including Reijo Pold, shared their satellite analysis findings with Click2Houston, identifying five areas of movement on the dam's slope and spillway, with two areas experiencing notably significant deformation at a rate of "0.22-0.55 inches per year" which Pold indicated as an accelerated movement, emphasizing concern due to "three times the acceleration of movement" observed from September 2023.
While the TRA considers whether to lower the lake level to facilitate repairs, Pold's analysis serves as a cautionary tale; he told Click2Houston that with over 90,000 dams in the United States, dam failures are not just a possibility but an expectancy with an average of "24 dam failures per year on average" since the 1980s; Value.Space hopes their proactive analysis will prevent a potential catastrophe at Lake Livingston, with Pold starkly noting, "It's not really a question, if the next failure event will occur, it’s really a question of when and where."
