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Lake levels approach normal
BY KEVIN BOWEN, staff writer
Last year, water levels might have left lake-goers wondering whether they saw it as half-empty or half-full.
This year, they only need to see it as full, or very close to it.
Spring rains have pushed Lewisville Lake close to its normal level after standing almost 11 feet below that level only eight months ago. That’s leaving any number of people in a good mood.
As far as Lewisville Lake, the drought peaked Oct. 9, 2006, when the lake level fell to 511.56 feet, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers n Fort Worth District Web site. The Corps tries to manage the lake at 522 feet.
Tuesday, the lake level stood at 521.75 feet, according to the Web site. That places it at 99 percent of its capacity. If rain comes soon, the Corps might even release some water in the coming days.
“It really depends on the rains the next couple days,” Church said.
The resurgent lake level is not just a numbers thing. Lake water has crossed the bridge on Farm-to Market Road 423 north of The Colony, where it hasn’t crossed during the drought.
The formula for the rise in the lake level has been simple, the spring rains this year,
“We were basically in a serious drought in the last couple of years,” he said.
The district as a whole isn’t quite out of drought phase, but only two lakes remain below level n Lake Lavon, which is at 84 percent capacity, and Lake Cooper, which is only 44 percent full.
Church said he has no information on what to expect with the lake level as the summer heat comes into play, but he said he is pleased that the spring rains have given the lake some cushion.
Those might be interesting numbers to engineers, but the lake levels has more practical effects for people in The Colony and other parts of Denton County. With The Colony’s “City By the Lake” moniker, it’s a good thing to have a flourishing lake nearby.
Joe Watson, owner of J.T.’s Boat Rentals, said he hopes the rising waters will help business rise, as well.
“I’m looking for an exciting year,” he said.
Keith Helms, The Colony parks development manager, said the increased lake levels are good for those people who wish to use the lake recreationally, such as giving better access to the lake from boating ramps.
“Water sports definitely benefit from the water being close to pool,” Helms said.
Meanwhile, higher water levels can also help the firefighters sleep a little more easily. In recent years, grass fires have sparked in the dried up lake beds, something that The Colony assistant fire chief Van Weese hopes the rain and rising water levels will help.
“It will help the wild grass that grows in the lake beds that gets dry and causes grass fires,” Weese said.
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