GBRA shares details behind the integrity of Lake Dunlap’s restoration

(Seguin) – The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority says it’s proud to welcome back Lake Dunlap.

GBRA and the Lake Dunlap Water Control and Improvement District (WCID) recently announced that the lake project has reached a milestone and is now at full capacity.

Helping to oversee the extensive project is Charlie Hickman, GBRA’s executive manager of engineering. Hickman says he’s pleased with the integrity of the project.

“We are just extremely thrilled to see Lake Dunlap back in operation. The project really involved a complete overhaul of the dam. We were able to put in new modernized spill gates that are going to be a real asset to the project and help operate it a lot more efficiently. We were also able to put some concrete protection over the entire dam to make it a little more resilient and long lasting,” said Hickman.

It was May 2019, when the aging dam gate at Lake Dunlap collapsed. Shortly after, it was the decision by GBRA to empty the body of water. It wasn’t until legal action and finally the creation of the WCID, that collaborative efforts for the lake’s restoration were put into action steering the lake community to this final point of the journey.

The restoration project, Hickman says begins a whole new chapter for the hydroelectric lake.

“The previous dams were almost a 100-year project and with this rehabilitation, we think that this is going to provide a new operating structure for generations to come,” said Hickman.

GBRA officials say the rehabilitation project includes the installation of three hydraulically actuated steel crest gates, structural modifications to the spillway, and upgrades to the mechanical, electrical and safety systems. Bonds issued through the Texas Water Development Board’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund program provided the funding for the project.

Hickman says GBRA always encourages boater safety but residents accessing the lake can expect conditions that were just like they were prior to the project.

“The new design is really geared towards living conditions back to the way they were prior to all of the issues that we experienced at the Dunlap dam and that’s what we’ve been able to put back in service, so the lake is back to the conditions that people have been enjoying for decades,” said Hickman.

The Lake Dunlap WCID will manage the debt service on the bonds as well as future maintenance and operational costs of the dam while GBRA will continue to own, operate, and give all gross revenues from the sale of the hydroelectric power that is generated to the lake’s WCID.

An official grand re-opening celebration for Lake Dunlap is planned for March 2024.