Be downstream smart: sign up for real-time dam release updates
One moment, the river is calm. The next, water from miles upstream is on its way. With El Niño increasing rainfall potential in the Brazos River Basin, reservoir releases may become more frequent, and staying informed is more important than ever.
Our downstream notification system can help you prepare before conditions change.
An El Niño weather pattern is expected to persist through the fall and winter months into 2027, which means more rain could head to the Brazos River Basin. More rainfall leads to more runoff, which could fill deficits across all water supply reservoirs.
The Brazos River Authority’s water supply system includes 11 reservoirs: 3 owned by the BRA and 8 owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
BRA reservoirs, lakes Limestone, Granbury, and Possum Kingdom, are strictly water supply reservoirs, meaning they can hold water only until they reach full capacity.
When our reservoirs are full, we must release any incoming water to maintain the integrity of the dam structure. Our lakes do not have flood storage capabilities.
The other eight reservoirs in the BRA System, owned and operated by the USACE, are designed to capture and retain floodwater, making them an important part of the system by storing excess water that enters the water supply reservoirs.
If you live or recreate downstream of Possum Kingdom Lake, Lake Granbury, or Lake Limestone, you can sign up to receive notifications when those dams make large releases.
Through an automated system, the BRA can send a text, an email, or a phone call to anyone who has signed up to receive an alert about the opening of floodgates.
Notifications can be customized to specify when and how often downstream notifications are received from the system.
For example, a person can sign up to receive alerts only when 15,000 cubic feet per second or more is released from Lake Granbury’s DeCordova Bend Dam. Alternatively, a person can choose to be notified for all release levels from Lake Limestone’s Sterling C. Robertson Dam.
Because every gate opening at Possum Kingdom Lake’s Morris Sheppard Dam produces a large downstream release, a person can sign up for all or none of the release updates. The gates at Possum Kingdom Lake operate on an “all or nothing” basis, unlike the other two reservoirs, which allow incremental releases.
When fully open, the controlled outlet conduit (COC) at Possum Kingdom Lake releases only 3,000 cfs, so it is considered a low-flow release that does not warrant an alert.
The BRA’s homepage, brazos.org, provides real-time information on the current release rates for each of its three dams. Gate release changes are posted on the BRA’s Facebook page and X (Twitter) account.
These alerts are not intended to serve as a flood warning system.
Texas weather can change in an instant, so everyone should be prepared when enjoying our waterways.
In addition to downstream notifications, social media posts, and website updates, Brazos Basin NOW is another valuable source for streamflow and reservoir elevation data. This site uses data from the West Gulf River Forecast Center (WGRFC) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to display streamflow, reservoir elevation, and rainfall received throughout the Brazos River Basin.
Local news outlets and National Weather Service broadcasts are additional sources of information.
If you’re going to be downstream of a dam, whether camping on a sandbar, fishing along the Brazos Riverbanks, or canoeing the river, always stay aware of your surroundings.
You can sign up for downstream notifications on our website here.
To learn more about how our hydrologists determine releases from the three BRA lakes, listen to this episode of our podcast, Unpacking the Brazos River.