The Lake Dunlap Dam Restoration Project began as a dream of a handful of concerned residents, and grew steadily into the community-wide grassroots effort that won the overwhelming support of the community on November 3, 2020, affirmed the creation of the Lake Dunlap WCID and granted it the authority to fund the dam restoration and maintenance in perpetuity.

That effort resulted in a fully developed plan to restore the dam that replaced the dam with a modern, safe, and efficient efficient hydraulic-crest gate dam. Work began on May 14, 2021 and the lake began to refill August 31, 2023.

The creation and voter confirmation of the Lake Dunlap Water Control & Improvement District (WCID) was a huge step in building a credible solution to the dam issue. The WCID’s plan provided the means to fund the infrastructure improvements needed to bring the dam up to current standards, and to keep it maintained and in operating condition in perpetuity. On December 16th, 2020, the GBRA and the WCID reached an historic agreement in which the GBRA will rebuild the dam, providing the gross hydraulic revenues from the dam itself to significantly offset the total cost. On November 3, 2020, the voters of the Lake Dunlap WCID approved two new property taxes to fund the remainder and long-term maintenance.

*Lake Dunlap WCID map. Click the map to enlarge.*

In that election, the district’s registered voters also overwhelmingly voted to approve both the WCID and the plan. The creation of the WCID was confirmed and the District was authorized to levy taxes to raise the funds necessary to repair and maintain the dam.

Zachry Construction Corporation was selected as general contractor in early 2021 and worked on the project for more than two years.

The Texas Water Development Board provided the district with $40 million to rebuild the dam at a near-zero interest rate, and construction officially started May 14, 2021 — exactly two years to the day from when the dam failed. These efforts are already benefiting all of the landowners included in the district and providing a significant indirect benefit to all the residents of both counties and the City of New Braunfels who use the lake or make their livings in ways related to it.

For more details on the plan and related progress updates, follow these links:

What we’ve accomplished, working together

Led the election effort to vote to approve the WCID and to fund the reconstruction of the dam via a combination of property taxes and hydroelectric revenues.
Appointed fully informed Neighborhood Captains in every part of the district to allow neighbors to talk to each other in small groups during these challenging Covid times.
Created a high-level strategy group of committed residents to guide election efforts and ensure that residents understood what was at stake on November 3rd for Lake Dunlap.
Completed an interagency contract with the GBRA to build, maintain, and operate the dam. That contract was reviewed and approved by the Attorney General and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and is now in place.
Received 100% complete engineering drawings, specifications, etc. This work, worth $3 million, was paid for by the GBRA. These 100s of pages of detailed documents and drawings are “builder-ready.”
Had our Lake Dunlap WCID application approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the official creation order issued, along with a slate of five temporary directors who are already at work.
Developed a solid road map with GBRA on how to proceed with engineering, construction, and financing, with construction due to begin as early as December 2020.
Worked with the New Braunfels City Council, who unanimously approved a resolution in support of the project.

Completed extensive engineering reviews of every possible option and design for the new dam. Ultimately, all of the Guadalupe Valley lakes chose the same designs we did a year ago, putting Dunlap at the front of the line to rebuild our dam.
Ran a $100K fundraiser within the district to create the WCID and allow it to operate in the short term and to cover the costs of organization and its immediate needs.
Garnered support from every elected official serving the region in which the district is situated.
Published a weekly update on the project and related news from the time the dam failed on May 14, 2019, until the Nov 3, 2020 election.
Conducted two public Town Hall meetings, each with attendance in excess of 600 people. A third was planned for March 18, 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic.
Worked with HMT Survey and Engineering to map the district boundaries and identify every parcel that would be in the district in a metes and bounds survey.
Formed a citizen’s Advisory Committee to help with engineering and construction reviews, financial options, hydroelectric potential, and much more.
Collected over 300 petitions in support of the plan to restore the dam via a Water Control and Improvement District that would allow residents to tax themselves to fund repairs.