Lake Marble Falls

Special to The Highlander

The refill of Lake Marble Falls is scheduled to begin on March 18 and conclude by the end of the day on March 21.

LCRA temporarily lowered lakes LBJ and Marble Falls in December to assist lakeside property owners in recovering from recent historic flooding along the Colorado and Llano rivers. The drawdown made it easier for residents to remove debris, dredge and maintain or repair docks, retaining walls and other infrastructure.

Unforeseen circumstances such as floods or extended power emergencies could prompt LCRA to change or cancel the drawdowns. Equipment and tools should not be left in the lake unattended and should be removed from the lakebed when not in use.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Marble Falls Economic Development Board members approved a contractor to demolish two Backbone Creek-side homes and ultimately transfer the cleared property to the city of Marble Falls for park space, officials said.
The municipal park space plans are pending approval by the Marble Falls City Council.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

A representative from the Lower Colorado River Authority unveiled Feb. 5 how the entity responded to the October flood event and addressed criticism about river management as Lake Marble Falls and LBJ residents continue to recover from the devastation.

Special to The Highlander

In consultation with the Llano and Burnet county judges, the mayors of Horseshoe Bay, Marble Falls and other incorporated towns on lakes LBJ and Marble Falls, the Lower Colorado River Authority announced Feb. 7 an amended schedule for the current drawdown of Lake LBJ, a Lower Colorado River Authority press release stated.

The refill of Lake LBJ now is scheduled to begin Feb. 24. The refill of Lake Marble Falls continues to be scheduled to begin March 18.

“The revised schedule for refilling Lake LBJ will allow our communities and businesses to restore operations, which will better serve our citizens and visitors to our communities,” Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham said in the LCRA press release. Communities on Lake LBJ include Kingsland, Granite Shoals, Highland Haven, Horseshoe Bay and Sunrise Beach.

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 Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

From initial door-to-door response for evacuations to post-flood cleanup provisions for residents, the Town Hall meeting Jan. 29 crafted an assessment of how the community handled the response and recovery process of the October flood event.

Known as an “after-action review,” city officials devised the Town Hall held at the Marble Falls Public Safety Facility (police station and municipal court building) to gather input from citizens to determine what worked well and what could be improved in the aftermath of the flood.

On Oct. 16, flood water from storms in the Junction area produced runoff into the Llano River which eventually slammed into the Highland Lakes which caused temporary evacuations, submerged lakeside homes, deposited debris and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

In the aftermath of the October flood event, Marble Falls resident Nancy Dunnam, who has a home on Buena Vista Drive, believes her family has faced a tough climb towards recovery.

“I can't get any information on how to get back in my home. I have a fence that was literally put around my house, no communication,” she said. “How many of you guys that had this happen to you had a fence put around your home? Anybody? Or is it just Buena Vista.”

Dunnam shared her concerns during the Marble Falls Town Hall meeting on Jan. 29, which assessed and gathered citizen input about response and recovery since the flood event.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

From water and infrastructure provisions to public health and safety response, an upcoming Marble Falls Town Hall Meeting will examine the municipality's response and community's recovery in the wake of the October flood event.

The Town Hall Meeting is scheduled for 6 pm. on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at the Marble Falls Public Safety Facility (police station/municipal court building), 606 Avenue N in Marble Falls.

“We'll discuss the incident, the response and the recovery,” Assistant City Manager Caleb Kraenzel said. “How did the city do? What feedback? How we can do better?”

On Oct. 16, flood waters from the Llano River rushed into the Highland Lakes submerging lakeside homes and damaging private property as well as some public roadways and city infrastructure. Along with the city of Marble Falls, community's impacted by flood waters included Cottonwood Shores, Granite Shoals, Horseshoe Bay and Kingsland.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

City officials debated the possible merits Jan. 15 of passing proposed fees for the public using two city-maintained boat launch locations to access Lake Marble Falls.

Within the city limits, boaters can access Lake Marble Falls using a ramp on Lakeshore Drive in the Hays Addition and a boat ramp in Johnson Park on Backbone Creek.

The city, opting to expand the two existing ramps, has closed a third ramp in Lakeside Park, to help clear the way for a planned hotel/conference center on Marble Falls Economic Development Corporation property adjacent to the park at Buena Vista Drive and Yett Street.

Councilman Dave Rhodes said the city's parks improvements efforts which are underway and the potential for “user wear and tear” of the amenities prompted him to request consideration of fees.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Flooding, fire and the loss of the beloved Bluebonnet Belle topped headlines in The Highlander for 2018.

Historic flood event