GUADALUPE COUNTY, Texas — The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) announced a settlement has been reached in a lawsuit prompted by a proposal to drain four lakes in the Guadalupe Valley Lakes system in order to replace aging dams and spillgates.
About a year ago, GBRA announced that Lake Placid, Meadow Lake, Lake McQueeney and Lake Gonzalez would be drained in order that those repairs could be made.
That didn’t sit well with some lakeside property owners, and the plan was temporarily halted by a judge.
The lawsuit, Skonnord v GBRA, involved property owners along Lake Placid and Lake McQueeney. The settlement stipulates financing and operation contracts between GBRA and the newly created Water Control Improvement Districts on each lake. The contracts will address specifics about dam and spillgate replacement on each lake.
Per the settlement, GBRA will maintain current operating levels on each lake until replacement work begins.
“This settlement agreement is a testament to the results we can achieve when we all work together toward a common goal,” said GBRA general manager and CEO Kevin Patteson. “We appreciate the partnership, dialogue, and collaboration of the residents and lake associations throughout the process.”
Concerns over aging dams and spillgates arose in March 2019 when a dam partially failed at Lake Dunlap. The lake’s 90-year-old middle spillgate collapsed, nearly draining the lake within 24 hours.