Buchanan Dam

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Singer-songwriter, actor and Highland Lakes resident Alex Harvey, who co-wrote the hit song “Delta Dawn,” died Saturday, April 4, his wife Gineille Sabilino posted on his Facebook page. Harvey was 73.

By Jo Karr Tedder
Contributing Writer
Central Texas Water Coalition

Even though we’ve had soup weather, there will be no water alphabet soup column until next month due to questions about the proposed Water Management Plan (WMP). Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has scheduled a Hearing on the proposed WMP for October 24, 2019 at 7:00pm at TCEQ Headquarters, 12100 Park 35 Circle Building E, Room 201S, Austin, Texas 78753. Comments can be sent to the clerk at this address. In the first informal part of the hearing, you may ask questions, but if you want your questions to be part of the official record, you may submit oral or written questions and/or concerns in the second part of the hearing.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Scorching hot temperatures soaring to above 100 degrees and lack of precipitation have sparked local governments to issue bans against outdoor burning.

From staff reports

A Buchanan Dam man will face manslaughter and aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury charges, following a collision that killed a man and injured his family member, according to Llano County documents.

By Phil Reynolds
Contributing Writer

Topics at the Llano County Precinct 2 town hall Tuesday, April 16, may have been few in number but they were wide-ranging in scope.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

A new perspective and new leads prompted the Llano County Sheriff Office Nov. 27 to take another look at a homicide cold case involving the discovery of a woman's body submerged and cemented into the hull of a boat just up from Inks Dam nearly a decade ago.

The woman, 46-year-old Holly Simmons of Buchanan Dam, was last seen alive Nov. 28, 2006 after she dropped one of her children off for school.

By Savanna Gregg

Staff Writer

The Highlander

After buckets of rain filled the Colorado and Llano Rivers on Tuesday, Oct. 16, the Lower Colorado River Authority made the decision to open eight flood gates at Buchanan Dam to release much of the floodwaters.

This in turn created a hazard for residents living along Lakes Buchanan, Inks, Wirtz, Starcke, Mansfield, and Tom Miller as waters began to rush through the Highland Lakes on Tuesday evening.

To ensure the safety of its campers and visitors, officials at Inks Lake State Park decided to close their trails on Tuesday, Oct. 16 when the first four gates were opened.

Upon the next four gates being opened on Wednesday, Oct. 17, park officials made the decision to close the park entirely, moving 34 campers out and discouraging other visitors as waters continued to rise.

By Richard Zowie

The Highlander

A weekend on the water turned into a tragedy as a man died in the early morning of July 23 after being pulled from the water at Buchanan Dam the day before.

According to Steve Lightfoot of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Juan Antonio Bolaños, a 28-year-old Mexican national, was on a float tube at the dam Saturday evening when he fell off at some point and was unable to swim.

Friends on shore say it was about 15 minutes before they realized he wasn’t there. They then went out and brought him to shore.

Lightfoot said medical personnel responding were able to detect a pulse from Bolaños, who was then transported by helicopter to a hospital.

The Mexican national was pronounced dead early Sunday morning.

Lightfoot said at this time, no further details of Bolaños’ death are known. He added that there is currently no indication of foul play.

Although local skies should remain mostly sunny, waterfront residents and travelers need to remain on alert along the Highland Lakes.

A ridge of high pressure, strengthening across Texas will create sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s, here, mostly through Saturday, according to Bob Rose, Lower Colorado River Authority chief meteorologist. However, the National Weather Service issued a Sever Weather Alert for Tuesday, April 26, that could have renewed showers extending to the upstream territory of the Colorado River.