The Long, Slow Death of Canyon Lake, Texas
Is there a leak in Canyon Dam? Canyon Lake could be losing more water than we knew.
Canyon Lake might be losing more water than the GBRA (Guadalupe Blanco River Authority) is authorizing to be released from the dam, which is operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. There is a steady flow of water through Canyon Gorge.
Recently, a Canyon Gorge representative verified that the source of water is not a spring. The water is coming from Canyon Lake. When asked what the rate of flow is currently, the GBRA representative estimated the current flow at approximately one cubic foot per second. This would represent 86,400 ft.³ per day, 2,592,000 ft.³ per month, and 31,536,000 ft.³ per year.
But the picture is worse than that, because there are 7.481 gallons in each cubic foot.
This represents 646,358 gallon per day, 19,390,752 gallons per month, and 235,920,816 gallons per year.
And they're asking you to conserve water. They shut all your boat ramps down. The Canyon Lake area is losing tourism dollars. Those dollars are currently being flushed down the Guadalupe River. Along with your drinking water. Along with your shower water. Along with your boating water. Along with your fishing water. Somebody's making money on it. But it's not you.
The GBRA website currently shows that the water release flow rate from the dam itself is 94.8 ft.³ per second. That means 5688 gallons per minute, which means 341,280 gallons per hour, 8,190,720 gallons per day, and 2,989,612,800 gallons per year.
When the water losses from Canyon Gorge are added to the losses from the GBRA's authorized release through Canyon Dam, the total figure of water loss per year is 3,225,533,616 gallons per year or 3.2 BILLION gallons per year PLUS.
We can argue about water rights all day long, or whether or not the GBRA is selling an excessive amount of water down the river beyond their water rights obligations. More investigation will have to be conducted. But here's the bottom line. Canyon Lake water is the lifeblood of the Canyon Lake area and Canyon Lake tourism. And we are all currently being bled to death.
Today, use social media, not just as a vent for your frustration, but as an organizing tool. Contact your neighbors. Get together. Hold your elected and appointed officials responsible and accountable. The problem is not conservation on the part of the people. The problem is the lack of accountability of the public officials. Organized and cooperative public action is the only thing that can ever change that.
Atticus Faticus
