It looks as if the COE is out to dry up Benbrook again.

http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/reports/fish.htm

Lake Arlington is looking sad as well.

What in the world are they thinking??? Water is already being pumped out of Benbrook and being sent to Eagle Mountain. This will continue until the end of September. Once they stop pumping out to Eagle Mountain, they will begin to bring in water from Cedar Creek and Richland Chambers. As low as the lake already is, I can't believe the Corp is releasing water. I sure wish there was someone we could talk to so this doesn't happen again next year.

Well they have to justify the 150 Million they spent on the feeder pipeline.

My understanding was that they would use water from RC to maintain Benbrook and EM.

In addition to possibly affecting the fishing, water level fluctuations will hurt that marina which is one of the best things that has happened to the lake in quite some time.

While all the lakes seem to be headed that way, Lavon and Benbrook seen to be in dire straits.

I hear you Armando. The problem is, the pull water from Cedar Creek and Richland Chambers to fill Benbrook up. The CORP then drains water to keep the level at conservation. During the peak summer months (June, July, August and September), they pull water from Benbrook to fill Eagle Mountain. Eagle Mountain is Fort Worth's water supply. The ideal is good, but the process stinks. If they know they are going to be pulling water from Benbrook for 4 months, they should fill Benbrook up 5 foot above conservation level prior to this happening. That would keep the lake from going down so low that ramps have to close and that awesome marina you were talk about from sitting on dry land. Evidently, there are federal regulations that the CORP has to follow and maintain the lake level at conservation pool. That mean we could be seeing this happen every summer unless something changes.

I don't know who needs to get involved to make a change, but I hope someone on this forum has some contacts in high places that can help. Spread the word!

The Tarrant Regional Water District controls the flow of water out of Lake Benbrook not the COE (until the lake gets extremely low).

See the TRWD map at:
http://www.trwd.com/prod/AboutUs_Reservoirs.asp

According to TRWD they will not be using the new pipe line until next june. The guy told me the lakes were in such good shape that they would not use it till next year.
According to TRWD they will fill Eagle Mountain from Cedar creek and richland chambers every June 1 through Benbrook. The water will be used for all the area around texas motor speedway and all the developement up there.That is also what it said on the web site about 2 years ago. I was hoping it would make EM a constant level lake but they said it would not. All they will do he said was fill EM every June 1 and from there will go down.
Johnny

I've always heard it pretty much as sandjohnny presented it, with the exception that the new EM pipeline extension and pump station (over by the BB spillway) are set up to take water from RC and CC and send it to EM directly without having to dump it first into BB. So, as I understand it, the drawdown of BB this summer is not being caused by pumping water to EM. Rather, it is the same rapid drawdown that has been occurring for the last 9 summers as water is supplied to local municipalities that are supplied from BB. The drawdowns started to get bad in 1999 when they upgraded the outflow pumping capacity (upgraded pump station on east end of the dam). Despite all the frustrations with the summer drawdowns, mine included, this year has not been unique and unfortunately I really can't see the picture changing in the future.

The Marina is definitely in a bad situation. I've had my boat there since last September, but lately it has been out for maintenance. I'm concerned about putting it back in a slip because of the low water level. It looks like it is 3-4 feet and dropping. I may just put it in their dry stoage.
I really feel bad for Ron and Kayla, because they have done such a great job overwhelming the place. I remember last fall a thread about this problem and the Marina said they had been assured the water would remain at a safe level for them. I'm not sure who told them that before they bought the place.

I really hope the Benbrook Marina owners get through this OK and the water does not fall much more. Everyone I have meet out there have been GREAT people.

I know that when it hits 688.5 that I am about done launching there = gets too shallow. It was a sad sight last night -- boat all cleaned up and I put the tarp on for the first time since April...no trips planned.

I heary you Fuzzy and Robert. I too keep my boat in a slip out there. After watching a ski boat leave the marina area and leave a mud trail for 200 yards, I decided to pull my boat and put it in dry storage. I put the cover on last night and don't plan on fishing until the lake comes back up. The marina is currently in 3 ft of water. I've been told they will start pumping water back in the lake on October 1st. There's been a lot of hearsay about the pipe line with several variations, including my own. I have emailed a friend that works for TRWD and am waiting on their reply before posting anything more on the subject.

On another note, I expect the marina to be sitting on dry land before October 1st. If that happens, I'll be out there helping Ron and Kayla every chance I get with whatever they need. They are a great people and I don't thing they realize just how much us fishermen on Benbrook appreciate them for what they have done to that marina since taking it over. If nothing else, I'll be out there to get one of those awesome hamburgers!

i remeber back when they first bought it ... it was said that if the lake went low again it would be a possibility of dredging the area out so that the low lake level wouldn't affect the marina anyomre

I guess I'll have to tow my toon over to Mustang Park and put in off the beach like I did year before last.

I think there is more to the drawdown of the lakes feeding the Trinity River than just the water supply for the residents of Fort Worth and surrounding cities. I think it has to do with the "Trinity River beautification project". You can't have a beautiful river if it is just a creek as it used to be at this time of year. You cannot get people to invest in the land along river if it just appears to be a creek.

I sent an email to Channel 4 during the last time the lakes were being drawn down. I got no response. Seems that no one is interested in looking into what is really going on. Follow the money.

Here are a few pictures taken in Fort Worth on June 13, 2006 when the lakes were really hurting. No water shortage here.

The rate of release into the Trinity today is 101 cubic feet per second, which equals 65,448,000 gallons per day. Benbrook can't stand that for long.

Proline...If the worst happens and the level goes way down, then I hope they can do the dregging necessary to eliminate the problem, for them and for us! I'll bet it would be expensive.