New GBRA Guadalupe Dams website.

Here is a link to a new website GBRA has published to "inform" the public on the status of the Guadalupe River lakes. Please realize it is published by the GBRA and may or may not provide information that is believable, it is for their propaganda.

https://gvlakes.com/

Every gubmint website is propaganda.

I wish someone would explain to me why people think it’s GBRA’s responsibility to keep these lake full for the surrounding landowners.

Maybe because that is what they are supposed to do? I mean they are the Guadalupe River Authority and they bought those dams and lakes from CP&L in the 1970's. It's in their charter.

I just wish they would answer why the generators have been out of service for years and produced no income.

Well, they will still have a “Guadalupe River”...Apparently there’s no money in running the generators, because if there was, they’d be doing it.


I guess they need to have a $5k tax per property owner, per year and then they’d have the money to fix those dams.

Well, I guess you're right. If the generators aren't maintained and kept in operating condition there's probably not much profit in them.

It may surprise you, but a lot of non property owners used those lakes and those non property owners spent a lot of money in the towns around those lakes.
I's not just property owners, it all citizens of Texas.

you could probably put the output of all the hydro units together and they wouldn’t supply enough electricity to power a city of 10,000 that is why the hydro units are not worth fixing

I just wonder if there was any follow up on the people playing on the Dunlap Dam! You would think that the Sheriff's Dept. along with the GBRA would be wanting to file charges of Criminal Trespass on them.

Tubing rentals, kayak rentals, shuttle service and whatever the imagination can think of.


Or......People can whine and cry about what they cannot control, but the sun will still rise tomorrow for everyone.

I'm sure if GBRA had had the money, and would have planned to shut down any lake for a couple of years to do repairs, there would have been petition drives and even more complaining than what's happening now.
I'm sure there are people in the thousands who live within walking distance of those lakes, and have probably never been on any of them, and there are still plenty of businesses doing just fine with the vacationer PUBLIC ACCESS to the Guadalupe River and Canyon Lake, to more than make up for the loss of a few residential lakes downstream.

Seems every one is so happy that property owners have "lost their lakes" that they don't see that we, the public have lost a lot of fishing water. But so be it.

Nobody is happy for the loss, and I know what it's like losing a lake that I had many a fun time on, and because greed won out and took away a couple of business establishments that used to be on Lake McQueeney......For me, that lake drained several years ago when that happened.

Look man, you don’t get it. I am sick of people laying blame on a business that has zero need for the dams. You cannot give me 1 good reason as to why GBRA should spend 10 million to fix a dam. Now what you guys need to do, is to get your counties to pay for these dams. They are the ones that have been raping people of their money from the high property taxes for all these years.

If you want lakes, get your rear in gear and find a solution!

I get it very plain. We have lost a lot of fishing water due to the negligence of GBRA. Now, why don't you study up on it and see for yourself. The taxes are going to be collected no matter if the dams are repaired or not. State agency property, the water, is not taxable. And no one has lost a penny of value till they sell their property. And it would take a real fool to sell now.

So Bill, your only complaining because you don’t have 3 lakes to fish now? Billy, if those dumb kids at the dam in the kayaks had been washed away, who would you lay the blame on? So they drain the lakes and crybabies complain and if someone gets killed, people have a reason to complain. Get over it.

Well, Groutie, I have a problem with a state agency neglecting a state property. In the end you and I will pay what ever it takes to fix or remove the dams. And as you so brilliantly pointed out, there is a safety issue that will have to be addressed.
PS: you can't fix stupid. If kids in kayaks got washed away, I would simply shake my head and move on. You can't fix stupid.


You don't seem to have any skin in the game, why are you still hanging around? To troll? You are doing a good job, do you have a degree in trolling?

Nah, hearing you guys constantly cry about this is great entertainment. None of you want to foot the bill and y’all all wanted to sue GBRA when the Dunlop dam broke. Well...let’s see you sue them for safety concerns.

And no sir, no skin of mine whatsoever in those lakes. I am one of the few that doesn’t have an agenda, such as yourself, I can see things for how they really are. Keep those blinders on.

What is my agenda?

Bill is right here. The school districts and counties will have a shortfall when all these "crybabies" lose 40% of their home value. These counties and school districts will not just eat that shortfall. They will just raise taxes on everyone who lives in the county or passes through. Besides the lost money on property, Bill mentions how this is going to crush businesses in the area that have been built around a lake economy for over 100 years. Cypress trees and others, over 100 years old will die. Wells are going dry that aren't even close to the lakes. The effects of GBRA's greed and lack of planning will hurt literally 1000's of people.

Either way, all taxpayers will pay more. The government will find a way to make up for the shortfall.

This would maybe be a viable argument if there wasn't any new growth in the area. Drive around and notice all the new construction in homes and businesses.
Those people are coming to the area in droves, and not for the lakes. People moving from high taxed states where even a tax hike here would be nothing to them.

Don’t quit smoking that crack pipe because you won’t like the real world. Comal county has plenty of tax revenue and don’t try to tell me that Seguin will get any worse than it already is.

You honestly believe that Comal and Guadalupe Countys are going to cut their budgets by the amount of tax loss from the lake properties? You can bet your left handed cigarettes they will raise taxes to offset the loss.

You never have told me what my agenda is.

You’re agenda is being a crybaby who’s trying to get people against GBRA, which as you can tell from these multiple threads....people don’t care all that much; because of what the homeowner’s At McQueeny have done.


Not sure what you’re “left handed cigarette” comment is supposed to mean, since I don’t smoke. But you can bet your left handed cigarette, that no tax appraisal district is going to drop the values of the property surrounding the lakes, they are still water front property and will be charged accordingly. . Apparently you fellas have not seen the houses being built in Mystic Shores, there is NO school tax money shortage. Try hard to think of something else now to use against the lakes being drained.....

Are you guys going to cry when the landowners around McQueeny get their dam rebuilt or are you two owners at that lake.


Hey, I know what they should do! They should leave these old gates in place so people can get killed when they break, Billy needs a place to fish.

I have to admit you are right. My agenda is to expose GBRA and their negligence. It's plain to see you are OK with a state agency neglecting their responsibilities and letting taxpayer owned assets go to waste. And I'm sure you are OK with the same old "the taxpayer will just pay more to fix it'. I;m sure you are OK with the GBRA board continuing to go to their resorts for parties and building new office buildings. Well, when you and your socialists buddies get it your way, you will find the money stream will dry up. Then what?

Comal County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. What you are not considering is that GBRA controls all the Guadalupe river in all the counties south of Comal too. From the lower half of Dunlap, the start of Guadalupe County, the growth is not there. The tax bases are not near as flush with money. Comal County can take the loss of revenue on the upper end of Lake Dunlap. The counties and school districts south of that cannot.

Actually William, I don’t really care what GBRA does with their moneys and how they spend it. They make their money selling water and they sale a lot of it. Now let’s discuss your “socialist comment”, it appears that you would be the socialist; because you are the one expecting someone else to take care of the dams for you and to supply you with a lake to ride your little jet skis on.

You must be AOC's brother and Bernie's son. You are just as crazy as they are.

Yes, I expect the state agency to take care of the assets assigned to them. I don't see any other way for it to be.

I don't ride a jet ski, never have never will.

That’s the best you can come up with? I have never voted Democrat and probably won’t ever vote that way. I have learned that the weak like to use those types of tactics in their arguments though.

So, let’s recap. You have no valid reasons as to why GBRA should keep these lakes full when 2 of the 4 dams have failed and all the gates are approximately the same age.

Pay close attention idiot! I have never said the lakes should be kept full, only maintained that GBRA was/is negligent and should be dissolved. Period, end of discussion.

crying about them being lowered and then claiming he doesn’t care about them being lowered. Look for William to be purchasing GBRA soon, he’s gonna show them how to make money from worthless dams.

I had heard that the Mcqueeney HOA got an injunction on the GBRA's plan to drain the remaining river lakes. Judge granted it thus delaying the Sept. 16th draining.



Do not know if this is true or not!

Seems like a waste of money throwing it into court cost, and fighting a losing battle when all those efforts could be used to fix their dam.

It is my understanding that both parties will go before a judge tomorrow.

If you go look at the dam website, it is plain why GBRA will convince the judge why it is necessary to drain the lakes. Idiots in kayaks.

There is a lot of political pressure being put on this decision. I don't know how it will be decided but if GBRA does drain the lakes, the decision will get a substantial reaction from a great deal of people, school districts, and cities.

With this type of pressure, I can't believe the state will not step in with some type of financial help or future compromise. We will see.

http://seguingazette.com/alert/article_e7691192-d33d-11e9-ae2b-c304b1b8f3ad.html

It will be interesting on how the judge rules! On one hand you have a public safety issue and on the other hand you have economic issues (losses). I would think public safety would come out on top! What needs to be done is a full Attorney General investigation on the GBRA and a complete five year audit on their business records.

From what I hear, the fill in judge isn’t all that friendly. I’d imagine he’s going to side with GBRA too, but that article says the state has been asked to give $30 million towards the dams. How much will Guadalupe Co & Comal Co contribute???

If the state gives just one dollar I hope there is a clause that states there has to be a public ramp installed.

You better start sending your state representatives letters and phone calls. You can bet the property owners already have.

I have two very good friends of mine who both live on Lake Mcqueeney. They are only a very small few who would not mind a public boat ramp on Mcqueeney. The problem is there is no public land to put one.


Side Note: The majority of the HOA is DEAD set against a public boat ramp!

Hearing today!

The entire decision should be about public safety period, end of story!
Who in their right mind can get up there and say 100% that the dams are safe after two failures?

No judge is going to stick his neck out!

Well? Surely one of you waterfront owners sat through the court session.

Injunction was granted. Another hearing on Sept. 16

I wonder if it’s the same judge or a different judge....

The waiting game continues!

I have only fished McQueeny and Placid one time many years ago so I don't really have a dog in this fight. That said my opinion is if any public funds are going to be used to make repairs then the lakes should have full public access.

The judge heard the HOA's argument yesterday and will hear GBRA on Monday. It appears the visiting judge is extending his payday.

A former GBRA employee testified that there was an internal GBRA meeting in 2013 discussing two strategies. The first was to invest in the electrical generators and fix the dams while still making money. The second was to move all water rights, on paper, to Canyon Lake thus raising water rates and justifying not fixing the dams. If hydroelectric doesn't make money, we don't have to fix the dams and all the revenue will be recorded coming from Canyon Lake. The team at GBRA voted and the then second in command on the management team was the only member to advocate fixing the dams. He was fired shortly there after.

For the last six years, GBRA allowed everyone to purchase homes, that were appreciating in value, on all the lakes without disclosing the strategy or issues the dams faced. At the same time, GBRA was taking permit dollars for docks and bulkheads on lakes that then knew were going to fail.

This came to me from two people who attended the hearing. We will see what or if anything changes.

So it seems that the blame game is what these hearings are all about, and not addressing the safety issue that isn't going away?

I just hope that the next legislature dissolves GBRA and moves the assets to a real river authority. But we will have to wait and see just how deep the good old boy club is in the capitol building.

Sounds like corruption of some sort had taken place. The GBRA is a total disgrace and has already been stated they should be investigated by the Texas Attorneys Generals Office or may be even by the Texas Rangers. A complete audit of the business and financial records of the GBRA needs to be made. Seems like "BAD MANAGEMENT" played a huge factor in the dams functions and up keep. For now the problem is a public safety issue. It will take the State of Texas and the local governments, city and county to produce the funds to fix the damaged dams. If public funds are used to fix the dams then all of the river lakes need to have complete public accesses. As for the GBRA they need to be investigated and done away with and another State entity needs to be formed to over see the everyday rivers operations. Just my two cents!

No doubt the safety issue is real, but at least these hearings are exposing the mismanagement of the Guadalupe River by GBRA.

Public Safety right now is fore front! The long term solution will be that the State of Texas steps in along with a special sales tax in the affected counties that the GBRA had control off, would have to make up the funds to pay for the dam repairs. The GBRA needs to be done away with and a new river management team needs to be put back in place with public oversight!

Seems so sir, all these guys can think about us their loss of a lake. Hell its not like they are taking the river and moving it to a new location. They are lowering the water to get the pressure off the dams, seems logical to people like you & I.

They are basically saying new dams or nothing, and I believe the type of new dams were proposed by the GBRA. From what I've read, these are much more expensive and advanced than what is needed to fulfill the necessity of what these dams are to provide. Since they are not purposed for flood control, and the production of hydroelectric power has been irrelevant for the last however many years, you should be able to go back in with a similar and less expensive approach. What the lakeside owners on all lakes are attempting to do is hold off on draining the lakes until a taxing entity can be established. When they do this, they can apply for a bond money to pay for their own dams or pay for their own repairs. This would of course mean that the GBRA would be removed from oversite.