Horseshoe Bay

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Requests from local city leaders, citing continued flood-damage repair, prompted the Lower Colorado River Authority to extend a drawdown of Lakes Marble Falls and LBJ for three more weeks, officials said.

The initial eight-week drawdown will go through March 18 with both waterways expected to be back to normal operating range by March 22.

Starting Dec. 30, crews began lowering Lake Marble Falls to reach its 7-ft. level today and Lake LBJ to about 4 ft.

“We jointly reached the conclusion that the drawdown should be extended three weeks to allow property owners more time to complete repairs and cleanup,” Marble Falls Mayor John Packer said in an LCRA statement.
Horseshoe Bay Mayor Steve Jordan added: “The close working relationship we have with LCRA allowed us to be a participant in reaching the decision to continue the lake drawdown period.”

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Sales tax distributions for Marble Falls for the month of January climbed more than seven percent above last year's total from the same time period, continuing a trend of sales tax growth for the county's largest city.

From staff reports

Two individuals have filed for election so far to the Marble Falls City Council, according to City Secretary Christina McDonald.

The filing period for the Saturday, May 4, city and school board elections began Wednesday, Jan. 16, and continues through Feb. 15.

The City of Horseshoe Bay has returned to 100 percent water production capacity. Citizens may begin to utilize water for full domestic use and cleanup operations.

Currently, there are some residents and locations who are encountering slightly discolored water issues. This discoloration is directly attributed to the recent floods. The color of the water is aesthetic in nature only and poises no health issues to the public. City staff is diligently working to mitigate the color issue. A Boil Water Notice was never issued for the City of Horseshoe Bay during the flood event. The water remains safe for consumption.

Please contact the city if you have any questions regarding water quality, 830-598-8741.

Connie Swinney
Staff Writer •

Investigators believe the driver of a pickup truck may have fallen asleep at the wheel resulting in a head-on collision on FM 2147 West at the Rocky Road intersection in Marble Falls.

According to the police report, the accident happened just after 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17 on the roadway less than a mile from the U.S. 281 bridge intersection.

Caleb Taylor, 27, of College Station was driving a 2003 Chevrolet pickup truck, traveling north towards U.S. 281, according to the Marble Falls police report.

Katherine Eaton, 53, of Horseshoe Bay was driving a 2017 Cadillac SUV, traveling south towards Horseshoe Bay.

“The driver of the pickup truck fell asleep at the wheel and crossed the double yellow line,” Marble Falls Police Capt. Glenn Hanson said. “It knocked the Cadillac off the road and down the (westside) embankment into a growth of trees.”

From staff reports

The Burnet County burn ban has been lifted as of Thursday, Sept. 6, Burnet County Judge James Oakley said.

Soaking rains fell throughout Burnet County this week, with some areas reporting up to three inches of precipitation within a 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. Thursday. The rain caused the county's Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) average to drop 32 points from 523 to 491, with a high of 703 (just north of Burnet) and a low of 320 (near Marble Falls).

The KBDI is used to determine forest fire potential. The drought index is based on daily water balance, where a drought factor is balanced with precipitation and soil moisture (assumed to have a maximum storage capacity of eight inches) and is expressed in hundredths of an inch of soil moisture depletion.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor •

Llano and Burnet County officials breathed a collective sigh of relief the afternoon of Aug. 26 after a weekend brush fire which threatened nearly 150 Horseshoe Bay residences was declared fully contained.

“It was a tremendous effort starting with the initial response from both Horseshoe Bay and Marble Falls fire departments and we could not have contained this fire without the help of all of our mutual aid partners who assisted,” said Horseshoe Bay fire chief Joe Morris.

“This fire burned right up to airport hangars full of multimillion dollar jets and burned right up to homes in several areas. It is amazing how much was done within a short amount of time and we were fortunate that no homes and no lives were lost.”

UPDATE: Fire agencies reported the brush fire 90 percent contained. As of 10 p.m. Aug. 25, evacuated residents returned home. No reports of property damage or injuries, according to the Llano County Office of Emergency Management.

From staff reports •

A piece of mulching equipment operating on the right-of-way on Texas 71 just inside Llano County near the Burnet County line caused a brush fire Saturday, Aug. 25, which threatened the Horseshoe Bay Airport and prompted officials to notify HSB residents of the need to evacuate for safety.

Officials were not sure exactly how many acres were burned Saturday afternoon. Residents living east and north of the airport were advised to evacuate to Quail Point Lodge, which is owned by the Horseshoe Bay Property Owners Association.

A helicopter could be seen dropping water on the fire and firefighters from multiple agencies responded to the blaze, which occurred after noon Saturday.

From Staff Reports •
Surrounding agencies are battling a brush fire which ignited mid afternoon Aug. 25 in an area adjacent to Horseshoe Bay airport.
The bulk of the blaze is on the north side of Texas 71 and moving northwest towards the airport.
"(The) fire started from a spark from a land clearing machine," Burnet County Judge James Oakley stated. "This is just how dry the fuel is and then with just a little wind, things can easily get out of control."
Fire officials have requested evacuations of residents in the path of the wildfire as a precautionary measure.
Burnet County Sheriff's Office dispatchers are receiving reports of billowing smoke seen for several miles and falling ash as far north as Hoover Valley.