Lake Brownwood reopened Monday mid-day after flooding last week and extensive debris collection over the weekend, according to Brown County Water District General Manager Dennis Spinks.
The lake level was still 1.2 feet above spillway level Monday but was considered to be safe for boating and recreation, said Spinks.
“Although the level of the lake is still up, it is accessible,” said Spinks. “Most of the water has receded around buildings and other structures, but (BCWID) maintenance crews and Lake Patrol officers are still picking up debris.”
Spinks warned that those enjoying the lake, especially those boating, should be cautious because there are still some sizable logs floating.“Be cautious because you never know what is floating out there,” he stated. “There may be logs floating and what’s below water could be as large as a 12 inch log.”
Most of the large debris has drifted to the shoreline due to the currents and wind, but there are still logs and some trash such as broken floatation pieces and other items that were washed away with rising water on Thursday after heavy rainfall caused flooding.
Spinks cautioned that some of the most dangerous areas with heavier debris are near the intake of the lake, near the Jim Ned and Pecan Bayou. He warned that boaters should stay away from the spillway which still has a current and is still dangerous. Boats with stalled motors or those without a motor could easily be pulled into the spillway.
During cresting of the Pecan Bayou, the lake level reached 4.7 feet above spillway at its highest reading last week, said Spinks. Having been approximately 8 years since the last time waters flowed over the spillway, Spinks stated that the flow of sightseers to the spillway was tremendous. “There were 100 people at times looking at the spillway, it was a constant stream of cars.”
The amount of flooding and damage could have been much worse according to Spinks. “The flooding didn’t cause much damage. There were some fences washed out but no flood damage around the lake, I haven’t received any reports of homes flooded, only storage buildings which were mostly on boat docks. The water got close to homes in some areas,” explained Spinks. He stated that at 1.5 feet above spillway, several roads were flooded and several residents in the area of Pency Street began to move items to higher ground as a precaution.
The sun has come out this week and Spinks, in regard to the lake, stated, “Everything looks good for the rest of the summer. It’s going to get hot, close to 100°, and we’ll get to spillway level and even below.” He explained that the weather pattern has changed substantially. “El Nino is increasing in strength and it may continue to rain this summer and into the fall,” he said. “A full lake is always good, for recreation and water sales.”
According to Spinks, a full lake represents approximately 5 years of water supply for the Brown County area. The BCWID board of directors will meet at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the Water District Office, located at 501 East Baker in Brownwood, to discuss the current water restrictions as mandated by the district’s Drought Contingency Plan. Spinks stated last week that although Lake Brownwood currently has an ample supply of water for now, the Brown County Water Improvement District’s board of directors is not going to stop looking for an alternative source of water for Brown County. An update on the study of the Trinity Aquifer in eastern Brown County is also an agenda item of the board meeting.
