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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports Canyon Lake's water capacity has increased to 63%, up from 43% just a week ago.
The lake, west of New Braunfels in Comal County, has risen about 12 feet since Fourth of July weekend flooding, to slightly more than 889 feet, as of Wednesday. The rise has slowed and will continue to do so with no new rain. The whole lake rose by four inches from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Corps of Engineers spokesman—Thomas Byrd—could not rule out some closed recreation areas and boat ramps could reopen after closer inspections are made.
"Pure speculation on my part, but I think once we do the cleanup, there is a chance that will happen," he said.
The cleanup refers to the flood debris expected to collect in the lake from upstream, such as tree limbs, trash, and other items swept away from Guadalupe River front properties.
Debris is a big danger for boaters.
Byrd assured the public that while floodwaters have boosted the water level, it won't rise anywhere near the top of the dam. He said "full" is considered 909 feet and the top of the dam is at 943 feet, where an emergency spillway is located.
During ideal weather conditions, managed water releases are made downstream to keep the lake level at 909 feet, considered the "conservation pool." Water above that level is considered "flood pool" and is manageably released downstream.
When full, the reservoir covers approximately 8,200 surface acres and impounds 378,852 acre-feet of water to a depth of 140 feet.
The Corps manages the flood pool, while the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority, based in Seguin, manages the conservation pool. Both partnered to finance and construct the reservoir, completed in 1964.
"The dam and reservoir itself are working exactly as intended right now," Byrd said. "We continue to do daily inspections on it...to make sure everything is operating properly."
After six years of drought, there is no need to release floodwaters downstream. The water release from the dam on Tuesday was 73 cubic feet per second (CFS). Water releases are made to meet the contracts of downstream water users. River outfitters report 300 CFS is considered ideal tubing conditions.
Learn more about the lake here:
Canyon Reservoir - Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
