An environmental study is underway at Canyon Lake Boat Ramp #8, which Comal County operates.
Located in Canyon Springs Resort, the older ramp does not have a parking area and its roadway has seen few upgrades since it was built in the 1960s.
SWCA Environmental Consultants declined to comment on particulars, but a representative from Canyon Lake Boat Ramps Community Alliance (CLCBRA) said the county wants to make sure there would be no issues created by adding a parking lot and repaving the entire roadway.
On a topographic map, there appears to be a water runoff or line near the ramp that extends into the lake.
These upgrades would be funded through the county instead of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which has covered almost all of the recent upgrades to the nine county-operated ramps.
The county extended Boat Ramp #8 by 50 feet earlier this year.
The U.S,. Army Corps of Engineers owns all of the land around Canyon Lake and does not permit any construction below the 948 contour, the upper extent of flowage easement.
However, the 26-acre Canyon Springs Resort subdivision where Boat Ramp #8 sits is unusual because its original deed allowed homes to be built in restricted areas.
Residents refer to the part of the lake bordering those houses as ‘On Golden Pond.’ The subdivision also owns an undeveloped piece of land next to Boat Ramp #8, commonly referred to as a park.
Why don’t they use some of that recovery money to actually do some good for the lake itself and the river basin and aquifer? Build a desalinization plant in the San Antonio Bay Area in the gulf and pipeline the water back to the hill country Lakes or use it for water sources and leave the rivers and lakes alone as the population grows.
What other ideas do the community and leaders have to save our rivers, lakes and aquifers?