GBRA Investigates Non-Responsive Spillgate at Lake Gonzales
Share
Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority of Texas (GBRA) today said its hydroelectric and engineering teams are working on a non-responsive spillgate at Lake Gonzales.
The gate did not return to normal operational height after it was lowered during recent heavy rains to spill water and allow for flows to continue downstream, GBRA said on Facebook and in a statement posted to its website.
Lake Gonzales, located 12 miles west of the city of Gonzales, is currently down 12 feet at the dam and teams are waiting until water clears to allow visibility for further inspection.
Spillgates at Wood and Dunlap lakes, also operated by GBRA, failed and drained lakes in recent years.
On July 7 the Fourth Court of Appeals ruled that property owners of Guadlaupe Valley Lakes lack standing to sue GBRA over property-improvement losses.
Construction to restore Lake Dunlap is underway, with the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) providing GBRA with authorization to issue the formal notice to proceed on Friday, May 14. The estimated timeline for completion of the $35 million project is 24 months, pending unforeseen weather delays.
Lake Wood remains “dewatered.”
GBRA owns and operates hydroelectric dams for Lake Dunlap, Lake McQueeney, Lake Placid, Meadow Lake, Lake Gonzales and Lake Wood. They’re all part of the Guadalupe Valley hydroelectric system. GBRA took ownership of the dams in the 1960s.
The authority provides stewardship for water in its 10-county statutory district, which begins near the headwaters of the Guadalupe and Blanco rivers and includes Kendall, Comal, Hays, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Gonzales, DeWitt, Victoria, Calhoun and Refugio counties.
GBRA sells water from Canyon Lake for municipal, industrial and agricultural uses throughout the Guadalupe River Basin — especially during droughts and periods of low river flows.
Canyon Dam is maintained and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
