U.S. Access Board Awaits Dam Decision

The waiting game is on for Canyon Lake residents, who were told last Friday there is no clear timetable for reopening Canyon Lake dam’s service road following a meeting of state and local officials seeking to end an impasse between U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Access Board over handicap access to the popular destination.

But the U.S. Access Board is waiting to hear back, too, about the trail — as it describes the road — while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the U.S. Defense Department and the U.S. Department of the Army work to find a solution in Washington, D.C.

“We have not been provided with a timeframe,” said Mario Damiani, access board compliance specialist. “Our hope would be that we would know something in the next month.”

He said the federal agency, whose motto is “Advancing Full Access and Inclusion for All,”  is not in communication with the group that met with Comal County Pct. 4 Commissioner Jen Crownover on June 8. It also is not involved in deliberations now underway in Washington.

Meeting with Crownover on June 8 were representatives from Water-Oriented Recreation District of Comal County (WORDCC.com), Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA.org), and U.S. Senator John Cornyn ‘s office, as Comal County Engineer Tom Hornseth and USACE officials from both Canyon Lake and Fort Worth District.

The meeting was closed to the public.

U.S. Access Board was created in 1973 to ensure access to federally funded facilities. It contacted USACE after a complaint was filed with the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on May 22, 2017.

The complaint alleged that the pedestrian access points to reach the Canyon Dam Crest Trail were not accessible to those who use wheeled mobility devices, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

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