Lake Conroe Lakefront Living Post-drought: Paradise and a Smart Investment

The drought of 2011 did not only kill off millions of trees in Texas, it also temporarily hogtied the boating, fishing, and recreation industries all around Lake Conroe. In fact, it was not until Lake Conroe residents watched the lake being drained to a glorified puddle that it became commonly known that the city of Houston has absolute rights to two thirds of the water in the lake. The far-reaching consequence was that all of the businesses around the lake – those that deal directly with tourist, vacationers and recreationers, as well as those that serve the local community – were hurt terribly. 

Residents were also hurt, and found themselves presented with a very scary dilemma. Lakefront residents of Lake Conroe spent their hard-won income to have their bit of paradise. Then, out of the zero-percent-chance-of-precipitation clear blue sky, comes a particularly long dry spell lasting a full year, the sudden realization of the water rights owned by a very thirsty metropolis nearby, and a band of meteorologist forecasting that Texas may see a downtrend in annual rainfall for the next few years. All together this would seem to predict a dim future for Lake Conroe. Some people actually sold their lakefront property based on this mixture of facts and conjecture. According to one study,  home prices around the lake dropped 28% as a result of this recent scare.

Those who react to false fears and hype are the ones who end up selling their house for less than its worth. Then there is the smart guy who buys a property for over a quarter off of its actual value. The trick is all in understanding the true value of things, and not being scared by temporal events. So let’s look at the facts, and put conjecture in its proper place.

Houston’s water rights to Lake Conroe Water

Since the first clod of soil was dug up in 1969 to excavate the basin of Lake Conroe, Houston has maintained 2/3 water rights to Lake Conroe. Why? Because the city of Houston was a partner in the venture, and funded the development of the Lake Conroe reservoir. In essence, Lake Conroe exists for our pleasure, and Houston uses the water as a backup if needed. The reason why Houston’s acquisition of Lake Conroe water came as such a big surprise to everyone is because, in 40 years of the lake’s existence, such a massive draw of water had never happened before. The usual scenario has been that the dam gates part in response to too much rainfall, not too little.

Forecasting the Future For Fair Skies

Many might be satisfied with the challenge that meteorologists have enough trouble predicting tomorrow’s weather, much less ongoing trends. But it would be fair to consider what records have proven regarding drought for this region of Southeast Texas, and how that may instruct what we may expect for upcoming years. This is, pardon the double entendre, one of the barometers used by the meteorologists.

In 2012 rainfall across Southeast Texas was around 45 inches for the year,  and most recent reports  have indicated that this is considered under-average. However, the "Average rainfall map of Texas 1961-1990” as compiled by Oregon State University put Montgomery County’s average rainfall in the realm of 42 to 50 inches, which the 2012 precipitation average certainly is.  So it might take a year or two more to determine of drought is going to be a continuing concern.  

Another Issue That Addresses Lake Conroe’s Future

There is another issue that never got the fear-factor airplay otherwise enjoyed by the drought and lake-draining. Montgomery County is a fast-growing county, and besides the drought there have been existing concerns about growing infrastructure to support the water needs of a rapidly populating area. This is an issue that has not escaped notice.  A solution, in fact, has already been identified. This solution has a name, the Catahoula Aquifer. According to Houston Chronicle correspondent Nicklaus Lovelady  in his September 2011 article covering the story, “The Catahoula Aquifer could potentially become the newest groundwater source for Montgomery County, which could one day reduce the county's dependency on Lake Conroe.” This story came out on the heels of the San Jacinto River Authority approving funds for the drilling of wells in Willis, Texas to access and evaluate Catahoula water, which happened in June of 2011, after the SJRA has been investigating, researching and contemplating the aquifer for a couple of decades. So, it may be, that the 2011 drought  turns out to be the inspiring catalyst that helped Montgomery County to finally access a huge water resource that has been available this whole time. 

So what may we conclude? Human nature is to occasionally overreact to unprecedented events when they occur, but it is also human nature to tackle these kinds of problems and find solutions. And certainly, our local authorities have been busy finding new resources. In all, we have every reason to believe that Lake Conroe has an incredibly bright future.

Given that Lake Conroe homes are among the nicest properties available in this growing and beautiful corner of Texas, you may be wise to consider buying your little piece of paradise while the getting is good!