The concept is simple. You take more water out than what comes in, and the lake level is going to drop. The solution is impossible. It’s happening everywhere. I used to fish Falcon, Choke Canyon, Lake Corpus Christi, Casa Blanca, Amistad and others. I got tired of fighting water levels. Now I fish the bays. Got me a place in Rockport. I’m selling my land on Canyon Lake before it goes into the dumps. There is this gentleman on Falcon who’s been fighting the water authorities for years to no avail. People and agriculture take priority over recreation every time. And now San Antonio is fighting over water rights to Canyon. Bummer!
We came to Canyon Lake over 20 years ago, after the flood that created the Gorge. At that time Comal Park had a shoreline. In the interim, the level has dropped. A small sand bar off Comal Park is now a peninsula off the park. Part of the marina on the North side has collapsed into the mud. The Rec Area beach inlet no longer exists. I was stationed in SA in 1984-5. That year San Antonio was bringing up trucks from Corpus Christi filled with water to during one of the recurring droughts. I read a book written by cowboys in Texas from the great cattle drives. Texas weather was horrific back then, too. Men and cattle killed by lightening, floods, tornados on the drive.
Like many reservoirs, Canyon was built for two reasons. One was flood control the other was storage for agricultural and residential use. Recreation is a pleasant bonus. It's a really cool lake and I really enjoy being on it. You know, even at its present low level some 25 feet below full pool, it's a fun lake to be on. I heard from one source that there is planned maintenance to the dam in 2025. If so, regardless of the inflow in 2024, the water level will likely stay low for another couple years.
@hardrockminer-50 yep, not helping with all the growth around here and not enough measurable rain in the right areas. Hell that goes for all the lakes in our general vicinity.
Thank you so much for this. It is really amazing everything you can see in the lake now. I love this lake so much and hope it gets back to where it was at soon! I have been thinking about going out there in the next week or two. I have not been in the lake since May 2023 and it was not even close to that low. Last summer was brutal on Texas.
The only ramp is in the park down from the Marina in Hancock. $5 county resident $20 non-resident. Check the internet weird hours. I'm glad you enjoyed it. You're going to be shocked...... Thanks for watching and commenting.
Wow! That is so sad. I lived in spring branch and then bulverde for years. We spent many weekends on the boat at canyon lake. That doesn’t even look like the lake. Heartbreaking.
Great video. Thanks for the updates. Yes very sad sight to see. If people that live on and around the lake don't voice their concerns, Canyon will soon look like Medina. Use to love taking the jet ski out to Jacobs Creek on the weekends.
That lake has a history of extreme fluctuations in the water levels. We hit a gravel bar in the middle of the lake some twenty odd years ago, and bent the prop on our boat. We were at least 200 yards from the nearest shore line. That was during one of those low level years. I also remember a few years ago when the water was pouring through the spillway at the dam. That was one of the highest levels ever.
There are several hill peaks in the lake that are always a few feet from the surface. Some have cliffs where the river bends. You can stand on the water, take a step and end up 50ft below water.
Keep building more apartments and more subdivisions for more water hungry residents to come in and deplete it. One of the factors when you have uncontrolled development and rapid overpopulation. Add drought to the equation and you have what you have.
But the other part of the problem is lack of density for tax revenue. Suburb house farms are so spacious with so many more miles of concrete and utilities per individual there is not enough money to cover maintenance and repairs. We need many small improvements rather than any giant sweeping magical fix. My #1.. Fix the obsession with perfectly green yards and your sprinklers running constantly. And population... the whole world is suffering from insane population numbers. It is completely unsustainable.
San Antonio Hotels and golf courses need that water. I remember when they pushed this water issue. The residents there get no financial benefit from this water grab.
Canyon lake gets its water from rivers and creeks NW of it. Fredricksburg and Kerrville have to get damn near flooded for the lake to be back to normal elevation 909 feet.
In addition to the other two valid points, we've also got a hell of a lot more drinking straws shoved down into our precious aquifer that are filling up the swimming pools of new transplants in the area. This area is over capacity, I think, and people need to put in rainwater catchment on their new homes, where possible. So, it has to rain quite a bit to be noticeable in our surface water features because the aquifer underneath is severely depleted.
@drfrankenbass Water collection should be mandatory on new builds around here. Have you seen the homes at the end of Demi John Rd pass Cordova bend? When we could run the river, I saw them clearing and doing surveying. We took a drive over there about 8 months ago. Everything you said above. Lots of water being used for yards, landscaping, and pools.
Bill George warned not to sell all the water rights when he was a on the water board...no one listened...keep on building and sucking through those straws
@@heelerdadadventuresand that's why the water level is going down much faster now, this all was very controversial back in 08 -09 so without Canyon Lake the livelihoods of the communities and Recreation and fishing will be completely dead and people will simply move on leaving nothing but a ghost town. Unless the property owners speak up ! and stop the drainage of Canyon lake.. .
I have lived here at the lake for 27 years but have come since the lake opened. Never been this low.. They have kept pumping what little water is still in the lake out to users all over the region.. sad!
Check out the video with the tree carvings, ramp 11. I really miss running up river in the evenings. Hopefully, we will get some rain from the tropics.
@@heelerdadadventures Aw, that's so sad. I just live over the hill by Fischer. I went to 11 and checked it out back on August 26 of last year, took lots of photos. It was bone dry, but not overgrown in the middle, at least. The bottom was dried and cracked up, but you could still see mud about 4" down into the giant cracks. Looks even drier in this video. I kind of hoped that recent few inches of rain would have made some difference, but apparently not. :(
You should run the calculations of evaporation rate vs the amount of water the drinking water plants pull off of the lake on a daily basis. Park shores pulls about 4MGD, Western Canyon pulls another 11MGD and the other is only about 1MGD. These don’t even get near avg evaporation rates. But maybe we should not have treated drinking water and also have a low lake level as well huh?
No way it evaporates more than being pulled. I don't believe that at all. So your saying more than 16 MGD evaporates a day??????? Your info, so 16 million gallons a day or what is MGD?
There is a third SAWS draw point after the outfitters at the I-35 bridge - SAWS bought the water rights from the outfitters. So the water goes through the river for the outfitters, to 35, then SAWS pulls it out and it goes to the pumping station at oconner and nacogdoches, One more thing, Cranes mill actually moved their whole park in the late 70s/early 80s.... if you go to the place where the river comems in, on the south bend - jUST where the lake starts, there are some old bathrooms and buildings where the old cranes mill boat ramp/park facility was. From my understanding, it was determined to be too close to the river entrance, and susceptable to flooding and drought, so they moved it downstream where it is now - they also added the (camping) picnic stuff on the penennsula at that time. . The old bathrooms and stuff were there at the river bend into the early 2000's but i don't know if they are still there.
I haven't been inside the park in forever, just from the water. There is a pretty good amount of Rv sights right at the start of the lake. By the fishing dock. That what you're talking about? I have seen those pipes. I'll be in New Braunfels for the weekend, I'll have to take my nephew and go check that out a little closer.
@@heelerdadadventures Well then, thats new!!! ish - Yes, the old abandoned part was right there by the RV park. (looking at the googles) If you look in the middle of the little round parking lot with the floating pier, you can see the rectangular foundation for the old restrooms. We would stop there when we were jet skiing for a break, it was totally abandoned back then (2002-05/?? ish). We would put in by Nancy Jo's by our house (nancy jo's is now part of lakeview resort - ramp 7 by our house on glenn - Mom sold it in 2007) and go up the river - we would stash fuel in places and end up at the rebecca creek bridge... kick back, refuel, and come back.... OR if it was windy, we would go out in the big part of the lake between Comal and North Park - by the big north island and wave ride. Also skiied in many of the coves, my favorite was by the submerged island on the south side by the cliffs. or over by the military park, which is probably completely out of the water now.... know that lake like the back of my hand. All the stuff you're finding in the shallows is why I would rather swim in 90 feet of water than 20 feet of water.
If I can catch a day next week the wind lays. I am going to grab the neighbor and go out for another run. I got to the corner of Cranesmill park, basically across from what now is Mystic Shores. I want to see how the Hydrilla is doing at the mouth of the river and run up river towards us. I bought that jet outboard boat specifically for running the river. I'll definitely film that.
I'm going to ask a REALLY dumb question. I have heard from some sources (fishermen with depth finders) that some REALLY tall trees are starting to come up in the middle of the lake. The rumor is trees on the order of 80 foot, in the middle, past the second cranes mill island (normally submerged). I don't believe it. I was told they were about 20 feet under a month or two ago. They would have to be big pines or something to be that tall!!!! Have you heard any of these rumors? I put it in the 15 foot canyon lake catfish story category
@livingdeadbtu They are there. Watch the video I did on the lake. I have a map in that video. I had to study it. Those Cypress are definitely showing up where you were told. I'll get out there this week and shoot some more footage.
Only one, the park down from the Marina in Hancock. Has strange hours, $5 Comal County registered vehicle. $20 non-resident. You'll have to look it up if you're planning on using it. Marina ramp was open, but they closed it, Marina is in the process of getting pulled out farther and reanchored.
I was shocked.... First time on the lake in 2 years, also. Pretty nice, I had the lake to myself. The river is what I truly miss being on. The reason we went with the boat in the video. Got rid of the big boat and went with a river runner.
Hate to say it, we all need a Tropical Storm. People just done realize. Travis, Buchanan,. Medina, Canyon Lake and everything in that circle we have not had any good rain in a few years..
Not sure what your talking about, but the gates were closed yesterday at the dam for the river and they definitely made a lot of changes at the overlook park for parking. Not even sure what parks are open. Beach areas are Definitely closed in Hancock. Come on and have fun. Do some research so your not wasting time and gas trying to figure where to go.
No unfortunately that area doesn’t get much rain from Hurricanes they usually swing east …need large storms from the west which doesn’t happen too often
Yes, for sure. That structure is actually an old mill that use to have a water wheel in the river channel. I have a good friend that's doing some research in New Braunfels for me. Hopefully will have some pictures in the future.
Kind of reminds me of areas around Possum Kingdom Lake. Possum Lake is known for amoebas. Texas has the most 'brain-eating' amoeba infections in the U.S. Has this lake ever had amoebas?
He said it wasn't his but he might know who it belongs to. I am going to dive down to it with my mask and figure out what kind of boat it is. My next restoration. 😅😅😅
Go back 40 years, and see what rainfall was, then look at 1995- present, after the completion of HAARP and Doppler technologies. You will find a direct correlation Geoengineering has been effectively used against Texas for decades.
It just flooded down that way and there is no water. Better go up stream and see who has it damned up because I guarantee someone does. They done the same thing to the red river.
