Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) Thursday will increase the amount of water it releases from Canyon Lake into the Lower Guadalupe River (@Sattler) to 300 cubic feet per second (cfs).
Anything under 500 cfs is considered “recreational” for tubers.
However, GBRA warns river conditions can change, currents may be stronger than expected, and water levels can fluctuate as reservoir operations change.
At 8 p.m. today, water was flowing out of Canyon Dam at a rate of 151 cfs. The lake’s elevation was 910.19 feet (mean sea level).
On July 28, GBRA locked in release rates at around 150 cfs Monday-Wednesday and 250 cfs Thursday-Sunday in an attempt to bring Canyon Lake back to its normal conservation pool of 909 feet following heavy rains.
“Maintaining a steady release rate helps gradually lower the reservoir back toward its normal conservation pool while balancing downstream conditions,” GBRA said in a statement.
Reservoir operations will be evaluated and adjusted as conditions warrant based on reservoir level, watershed inflows, weather forecasts and downstream conditions.
GBRA will work closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which owns and operates Canyon Lake, as flow rates are adjusted.
Canyon Lake’s primary purpose is flood control. GBRA controls release rates when the lake is at or below full pool in order to meet contractual obligations to supply water to downstream customers.