GBRA, USACE To Hold Recognition Event For Canyon Dam & Reservoir 50th Anniversary

The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are recognizing the 50th anniversary of Canyon Dam and Reservoir at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 21, 2016, on the front lawn of the USACE Canyon Lake Office, 601 C.O.E. Road, Canyon Lake, Texas 78133. Activities are open to the public. Parking and shuttle service are available at the Community Resource and Recreation Center (CRRC), 125 Mabel Jones Drive, which is across the South Access Road from the USACE Canyon Lake Office.

This Golden Anniversary Ceremony will feature comments from Congressman Lamar Smith, a proclamation delivered by a representative of State Sen. Donna Campbell’s office, an honoring of the occasion from State Rep. Doug Miller, and a resolution delivered by Comal County Judge Sherman Krause. Canyon Lake High School JROTC will perform color guard duties. Tiffany Mayne of KNBT FM Radio will serve as master of ceremonies.

Upon completion of the ceremony, attendees may:

• Enjoy a hotdog lunch and cupcakes on the USACE lawn.
• Tour the Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country located at 4831 FM 2673 in Canyon Lake. The Museum has a scaled model of Canyon Dam. Admission will be free for the day.
• Visit two “information stations” — one located near the spillway for the story about the great flood of 2002 and the second located near Canyon Dam for the story of how it all came to be. Information stations will be led by USACE staff and trained Gorge Preservation Society docents.
• View an art exhibit by the Canyon Lake Art Guild that is on display at Tye Preston Memorial Library located at 16311 South Access Road in Canyon Lake.
• Redeem “golden discount” coupons available at the recognition event that are being honored by participating local businesses.
  

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Led by the USACE with the GBRA as its local sponsor, construction of Canyon Dam and Reservoir was completed in 1964. By 1966 with the reservoir declared full, Canyon Dam was officially dedicated by regional and national officials. In June 1991, the USACE and GBRA held a Silver Celebration and Re-dedication Ceremony for Canyon Dam and Reservoir. USACE staff had estimated that the project’s flood protection had prevented nearly $1.2 billion in damages. Only one time in the project’s history had waters flowed over the spillway and that was in July 2002 after 34 inches of rain fell in the upper part of the Guadalupe River Watershed.