GBRA Announces Intentions To Expand Restricted Zones Near Dams On Lake McQueeney, Lake Placid

Staff Reports

On Wednesday, May 22, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) announced it is expanding the restricted zones upstream and downstream of McQueeney Dam and upstream of TP-4 on Lake Placid, effective Wednesday, May 22, 2019, until further notice.

The announcement was made following the spillgate failures at two of its aging dams including Dunlap Dam. 

Access will be restricted on Lake McQueeney from the McQueeney Dam to approximately 900 feet upstream, and from below the dam downstream to Highway 78 on Lake Placid. Similarly, access will be restricted upstream of TP-4 Dam, also known as Red Mill Dam, on Lake Placid in Seguin.

The restricted area will be marked with buoys, and law enforcement will enforce the restricted area. The attached map details the restricted area. Watercraft and recreationalists are prohibited from swimming, stopping, or anchoring within the restricted zone.

“In the interest of safety, GBRA is further restricting access near McQueeney Dam and TP-4,” said GBRA General Manager Kevin Patteson. “We fully appreciate the significance of the lakes in the lives of the community and visiting recreationalists; however, with the aging infrastructure of the dams, we believe this is the best course of action to protect the public.”

GBRA experienced spillgate failures at Lake Dunlap on May 14, 2019, and Lake Wood on March 10, 2016.

McQueeney Dam is five miles northwest of Seguin in Guadalupe County on the Guadalupe River. Construction on the dam was completed in 1928. TP-4 is approximately one-half mile southwest of Seguin on the Guadalupe River.

The pond area of Lake McQueeney is 400 acres with a storage capacity of 5,050 acre-feet. Most of the lake is 10 feet deep with deeper sections along the center channel. Lake Placid is on the south side of McQueeney Dam with a pond area of 248 acres and a storage capacity of 2,624 acre-feet. Most of the lake is shallow with maximum depths of 30 to 35 feet near the dam.