Lake Dunlap is a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

on the Guadalupe River near the town of New Braunfels in Guadalupe County,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. The reservoir was formed in 1931 by the construction of a dam to provide

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

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. The repair was completed in August 2023, and the lake fully restored by the end of October that year.

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 Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxi ...

striped bass The striped bass (''Morone saxatilis''), also called the Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, is an anadromous perciform fish of the family Moronidae found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. It has ...

, and

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus nigricans'') is a carnivorous, freshwater fish, freshwater, ray-finned fish in the Centrarchidae (sunfish) family, native to the eastern United States, eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada an ...

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. 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.

Dam failure

On the morning of May 14, 2019, at 8:05 am local, the dam's 90-year-old middle

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

unexpectedly collapsed, nearly draining the lake by day's end. The lower, concrete portion of the dam remained in place. The collapse was due to aging structural steel. 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. 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. On October 26, 2023, the water level was officially restored to full after the rebuilding of the dam.

References

External links

Lake Dunlap
– Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority {{authority control Dunlap Protected areas of Guadalupe County, Texas New Braunfels, Texas Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority Bodies of water of Guadalupe County, Texas Dam failures in the United States 1931 establishments in Texas

Fish and plant life

Recreational uses

Dam failure

See also

References

External links