How Far Lake Conroe Has Dropped Below Its 201-Foot Normal Pool

Barely. A San Jacinto River Authority update from the afternoon of September 19, 2019 put the level at 199.04 feet. The morning figure had been 199.02 feet. Both readings sat two feet under the 201-foot normal pool. The dam gates remained closed, and no water was being released.

Both updates appeared in the Harris County Flood Control District news room. A single day's readings describe that day only. For one house, ask the seller where the water stood at the dock in dry months, and keep any dated photos with the survey.

The Texas Real Estate Research Center says water planners treat 1950 through 1957 as the drought of record for planning purposes. Each year in that stretch fell well short of the long-term average, the Texas Real Estate Research Center writes. The year 2011 stands alone by comparison: with statewide rainfall of 14.7 inches, it overtook 1957 as the second driest year on record.

In the Texas Real Estate Research Center's account, many Texans feared in 2011 that the water shortage would hinder the state's growth. Lake Conroe's dam was finished in January 1973, so the drought of record came before the lake held any water. Its own lowest reading, 192.68 feet, came in December of the 2011 drought year instead.

No. The San Jacinto River Authority measures a residential structure at full pool, 201 feet, whatever the lake reads on the day. Its rate schedule sets $0.188 per square foot a year, with a $60 minimum. A dock standing over less water in a dry year is billed on the same square footage as one at normal pool.

Boat slips count toward the square footage even where no deck covers them. A structure cut into the owner's land, with land on three sides, is not measured and pays the $60 minimum. The authority's measuring guide works two examples: $141.00 a year for a dock built out over the water and $116.40 for one partly cut in. Ask the seller for the fee receipts during the option period, together with the license numbers for each structure.

To 199.5 feet at the most. Under the 2024 Active Storm Management protocol, the City of Houston could ask for up to six inches from April 1 to June 1 and from August 1 to October 1. In the fall window, a second six inches was allowed after Labor Day, and six more for a named storm. That protocol ran only to the end of 2024.

In spring the protocol also allowed a second six inches, to 200 feet, when a major rainfall was forecast. Every decision on those releases was the city's, and the water came out of the city's two-thirds share. The Lake Conroe Association said in September 2025 that no agreed written protocol had existed since January 2025. A release ahead of a storm now comes when the city asks for its water. The protocol's floor of 199.5 feet sat well above the lake's 2011 record low of 192.68 feet.

Yes. Under the San Jacinto River Authority's rules, its general manager may limit building or use by permit when the lake level changes. The same power applies for public health and safety, or in an emergency. Any dock, boathouse or bulkhead below the 201-foot contour already stands on the authority's permit, so these limits reach every structure on its land.

Owning a waterfront lot brings no right to build on the land below 201 feet. The authority can revoke a license, and it can require an unpermitted structure removed at the owner's cost. A bulkhead has its own permit, separate from the dock license, and any later change to one goes back to the authority's operations department. Before an offer, ask the seller for each license number and the bulkhead permit, and match every structure on the survey to its paper.