Lake Dunlap

Lake Dunlap is a reservoir on the Guadalupe River near the town of New Braunfels in Guadalupe County, Texas, United States. The reservoir was formed in 1931 by the construction of a dam to provide hydroelectric power to the area. Management of the dam and lake was assumed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority on May 1, 1963. Lake Dunlap serves as a venue for outdoor recreation, including fishing and boating. On the morning of May 14, 2019, at 8:05 am local, the dam's 90-year-old middle spillgate unexpectedly collapsed, nearly draining the lake by day's end. The lower, concrete portion of the dam remains in place.[1][2][3][4] The collapse was due to aging structural steel.[5] The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority worked with lakeside residents who formed an engineering & technical committee and a temporary water-control improvement district & engineeing firms and the Texas Water Development Board seeking a solution to replace the spill gates at Dunlap and GBRA's other remaining ageing dams. [6] On November 3, 2020, the residents of Lake Dunlap voted on and passed 3 propositions which allow for the creation of a formal water-control district and assessment of ad-valorem taxes that will fund the construction of a new dam. The construction of the new design is estimated to be completed in the fall of 2022.

Lake Dunlap
Lake Dunlap
Lake Dunlap
LocationGuadalupe County, Texas
Coordinates29°40.70′N 98°4.00′W
TypeHydroelectric reservoir
Primary inflowsGuadalupe River
Primary outflowsGuadalupe River
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area410 acres (170 ha)
Max. depth40 ft (12 m)
Water volume5,900 acre⋅ft (0.0073 km3)
Surface elevation575 ft (175 m)

Fish and plant life

Lake Dunlap is stocked with species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Lake Dunlap include catfish, crappie, striped bass, and largemouth bass.[7]

Recreational uses

The only free public access to the lake is a boat ramp located at the overpass of Interstate Highway 35 in New Braunfels. The lake level is down almost 13 feet due to the broken spill-gate, however the body of water is still navigable in certain areas although hazards such as stumps and rocks are prevalent. Lake Dunlap offers mostly calm water due to its narrow size (in parts) and protection from wind by shoreline trees. Wakeboarders, skiers and other recreational enthusiasts use Lake Dunlap daily due to its family friendly calmness, temperature, and status of near-private lake, however watersports since the dam broke are mostly limited to areas closest to the dam where the water is the deepest. Boaters have to use caution as the lake has numerous unmarked stumps.

See also

References
  1. https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/lake-dunlaps-future-is-grim-after-spillway-fails-at-nearby-dam/273-759614b0-59aa-49cb-a1f1-857f662ffaa9
  2. https://www.ksat.com/news/video-shows-exact-moment-of-partial-dam-failure-at-lake-dunlap
  3. http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/dunlap-dam-experiences-spillgate-failure
  4. https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/property-owners-warned-after-spillgate-fails-at-lake-dunlap-near-new-braunfels/2001345186
  5. https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Aging-steel-suspected-in-dam-failure-at-Lake-13852316.php
  6. https://sciengsustainability.blogspot.com/2019/05/lake-dunlap-dam-failure-footage-video.html
  7. Stocking History of Lake Dunlap
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