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. In 2019, the dam failed, draining the lake, and as of 2020 is under reconstruction.

Lake Dunlap
Location of Lake Dunlap in Texas, USA.
Location of Lake Dunlap in Texas, USA.
Lake Dunlap
Location of Lake Dunlap in Texas, USA.
Location of Lake Dunlap in Texas, USA.
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.[1]

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 proceed with caution as the lake has numerous unmarked stumps.

Dam failure

On the morning of May 14, 2019, at 8:05 am local, the dam's 90-year-old middle spillway unexpectedly collapsed, nearly draining the lake by day's end. The lower, concrete portion of the dam remains in place.[2][3][4][5] The collapse was due to aging structural steel.[6] The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority worked with lakeside residents who formed an engineering and technical committee and a temporary water-control improvement district. Engineers and the Texas Water Development Board devised a solution to replace the spill gates at Dunlap and GBRA's other remaining aging dams.[7] On November 3, 2020, the residents of Lake Dunlap voted on and passed three 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 was completed on August 31, 2023 and the lake began refilling that same day.

See also

References
  1. "Stocking Report for Dunlap". tpwd.texas.gov.
  2. "Lake Dunlap's future is grim after spillway fails at nearby dam". kens5.com. 15 May 2019.
  3. Patton, Mary Claire (May 15, 2019). "Watch exact moment of partial dam failure at Lake Dunlap". KSAT.
  4. "Dunlap Dam experiences spillgate failure". FOX 7 Austin. May 15, 2019.
  5. https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/property-owners-warned-after-spillgate-fails-at-lake-dunlap-near-new-braunfels/2001345186
  6. O’Hare, Peggy (May 17, 2019). "Aging steel suspected in dam failure at Lake Dunlap". San Antonio Express-News.
  7. "Lake Dunlap Dam Failure Footage Video".
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