On a normal day, Barker is mostly a park with horse-riding trails, and soccer and baseball fields.

There are three main ways for water to flow out of the reservoir: a floodgate and two emergency spillways.

When it rains, water is stored inside Barker, and then released into a meandering river called Buffalo Bayou.

The government bought land in the reservoir that would be covered by water in a 100-year flood.

During Hurricane Harvey, water levels rose past the government property line, flooding neighborhoods like Canyon Gate.