Dams so bad they can’t even be fixed

Repairs ordered halted on Guadalupe River spill gates

The spill gates of four aging dams on the Guadalupe River are at such a high risk of collapse that the agency in charge has halted all repairs.

The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority — which owns four dams still in operation and two others where spill gates failed, draining Lake Dunlap last month and Lake Wood three years earlier — put an indefinite hold on work four days ago, citing safety reasons.

The possibility of another spill gate breakdown has added urgency to the search for money, by the GBRA and property owners, to solve the problem permanently.

Some property owners on the lakes, concerned that a financial fix from the state or federal government may never materialize, now are talking about the possibility of an election to create special local districts with taxing authority to help pay for replacement spill gates.

On Lake Dunlap, some residents have taken the initial steps to form a district that could end up buying the dam from the GBRA for $1.

Others are contemplating whether to sell their houses rather than risk property devaluation or loss of lakefront access.

In the meantime, some residents of McQueeney and Placid lakes — the two closest to Dunlap — are playing it safe and keeping their boats out of the water so they won’t be stranded if their lakes drain suddenly, like Dunlap and Wood.

“It’s not a matter of if the (McQueeney) dam breaks, but

when,” real estate broker and McQueeney resident Lisa Thomson said, based on comments she has heard from GBRA representatives.

“Some people are hoping wealthy lake homeowners will step up to cover the costs. Others say it will be funded in the next legislative session, which would ulti

Billy Calzada / Staff photographer Members of the Ski Bees water ski team participate in a show at the Lake Breeze Ski Lodge at Lake McQueeney.