State Judge Issues Temporary Injunction On GBRA’s Plan To Drain Lakes

State Judge Stephen Ables on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) from draining lakes McQueeney, Placid, Meadow, and Gonzales as property owners sought an injunction to prevent the authority from moving forward with its plans.

The GBRA was scheduled to begin draining the four Guadalupe River lakes by 12 feet on September 16 for safety reasons. GBRA’s 90-year-old dams are beginning to fail, with spillgate failures at lakes Wood and Dunlap causing the lakes to drain to hazardous levels.

Estimates of $180 million and lengthy timelines to repair all six dams have so far deterred attempts to address the issues. GBRA staff previously said they have been unable to find a funding solution at the state or federal level.

Some homeowners have formed an association with plans to call for an election November 5 to create a water control and improvement district that would have taxing authority to help generate funds to rebuild the dams.

This article was originally published by Strategic Partnerships Inc.