BY ERIC WEILBACHER
The details
What they're saying
127
The new Lake Dunlap dam is more e cient at directing water through the hydroelectric gen- erating facility than the old dam, Dunlap WCID President Doug Harrison said. “More water goes down the canal, and less water leaks past the dam,” he said. The canal water channel returns to the river at the hydroelectric generation house. “The Dunlap facility has absolutely no impact on ow rates or volumes in [Lake] McQueeney or any other lakes,” he said. Water ow over the past nearly ve years was unusually high due to the dam’s failure, according to GBRA. The dam is permitted under a Texas Commis- sion on Environmental Quality permit dating back to 1914, said Lindsay Campbell, a spokesperson for GBRA, in an email. “That authorizes how and when water is to be conveyed through the canal and powerhouse at Lake Dunlap. With the successful rehabilitation of Lake Dunlap, normal operations have resumed consistent with this permit,” Campbell said. According to Zachry Construction, the com- pany that rebuilt the dam, the new dam was built upon the two old spill gates left standing, and an additional 15-foot width of new concrete was added. That gave White reason to question why a new environmental permit wasn’t deemed necessary when the new dam di ers in design than the older dam. Due to stagnating water, sh are stuck in small pools and ponds just below the dam, inviting birds to gather and eat them, White said. “It’s great to see the birds. But the birds are eating dead clams and sh. It’s like a smorgasbord for them because the sh have nowhere to go,” White said.
“For my whole life, we had pretty decent ow ... it’s pretty upsetting to go from having a river to not having a river.“ PHILLIP SCHULZE, LANDOWNER BELOW THE DAM
46
LAKE DUNLAP
Diversion canal
“Lake Dunlap is back! Waterfront property owners and visitors are able to use the lake as it has been for 100 years.” DOUG HARRISON, PRESIDENT, LAKE DUNLAP WCID
Lake Dunlap dam
GUADALUPE RIVER
Hydroelectric generation house
N
SOURCE: GBRA COMMUNITY IMPACT
One more thing
According to Victoria Cann, a spokesperson for TCEQ, the water rights for Lake Dunlap authorize diversion but do not require that a speci c volume of water pass downstream of the dam. That assertion has not stopped locals from challenging the new dam’s operations. They contend no entity should be able to cut the water ow that signi cantly and are seeking out any state entity or other actor that will hear their case to address the issue. “Our argument is, you can’t eliminate a stretch of river that’s been there since the dawn of time,” White said.
Homes below the canal exit on the Guadalupe River are still experiencing lower water levels.
SIERRA MARTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT
Blending Generations Of Furniture And Family
Downtown New Braunfels 283 S. Seguin Ave.
23
NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook