Repairs underway as Lake Livingston Dam goes under 'potential failure watch,' officials say

LIVINGSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Lake Livingston Dam is currently under an urgent warning called a "potential failure watch."

The Trinity River Authority confirmed repairs are underway, but there's no timeline on when they will be completed.

Officials told ABC13 that the dam is currently operating normally.

Michelle Driggers lives in what she calls, "The Bottoms," just across from Lake Livingston Dam.

In May, she woke up to three feet of water inside her home.

"I lost everything I had, dealing with FEMA is not going so great," she explained. "[I'm] in a motel with my two kids. We're there until we figure out what's going on, so I'm just going day by day myself."

May's flooding also damaged a spillway at the dam.

Officials aren't giving specifics on exactly what happened, or a timeline on when repairs will be finished.

"You can't get a hold of them. They're an entity. We've just heard of them. They're like an enigma, we don't know them," Matt Cloud, who fishes nearby, said.

The urgent warning is a concern, even for those who don't live nearby.

About 70% of water in the City of Houston comes from the Trinity River. Even a small issue could create problems with Houston's water pressure and supply.

"They were really vague with it, so I was kind of wondering what else was going to happen. They just put that out there, didn't say nothing else about it," Cloud added.

"People are freaking out like, 'Oh, did you hear this?' Messaging, 'Oh, what do you think it's going to do?' Now, if water comes over it and we get a bunch of rain, who knows what will happen? But, right now, we're cool," Driggers said.

Driggers and others nearby are hoping repairs are done quickly, before any more heavy rain moves in.

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