More Dam Work

More construction work commencing on Barker Dam and Buffalo Bayou flood gate

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is sponsoring another project on Barker Dam. Seems like an annual thing. This one is called "Conduit and Parabolic Spillway Repairs", to be carried out by an Oklahoma company as contractor.

I consider myself a pretty well-read person, but I don't know what that means. If the Corps goes to the trouble of putting up signs to mark the commencement of another upgrade of the imperiled earthen mount designed to temporarily keep water out of the City of Houston in a major storm, it be worthwhile explaining to the public what it's all about.

This is an older photo showing the gate from the East

What might be the purpose of the parabolic flow course? Better splash action? Better aeration for the benefit of the fish and other wildlife downstream? Enhanced dissipation of kinetic momentum  of the jets of water gushing out of the reservoir at higher than normal water level? Who knows?

Gear set up for action in fenced-off area South of the flow control gate / spillway

In the spring and summer of 2013, the channel running Northward on the outside the dam was widened and solidified at the ramp coming up from the Briar Forest parking lot, what used to be Noble Road.That project (click link for earlier post) was pretty straightforward. To guess the purpose to the current project, by contrast, poses much more of a mental challenge.