The U.S. Army Corps, working with the River Forecast Center, makes the judgment calls when to open the floodgates. But the water belongs to the state of Texas.

Paul Rodman, chief of reservoir control with the Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District, said the Brazos River Authority is responsible for water contracts. Lowering the conservation pool could affect those customers purchasing water.

“We have contracts for the water in the conservation pool with the Brazos River Authority. You can’t just go out and void the contract,” Rodman said.

Those water contracts are between the BRA and individuals, numerous Central Texas cities and Bell County. A typical acre-foot costs $54.50. An acre-foot of water would supply two four-person families’ water needs for a year. According to BRA information, Temple spends a little more than $1.6 million on Lake Belton water per year.

Rodman said overall the dams did not have a negative effect on the Little River.

“Between cycles of floods and droughts, channels would be moving anyway without dams,” Rodman said. “In our perspective, for a lifetime, everything is stable.”