CANYON LAKE, Texas – Update Aug. 29, 11 a.m.: Comal County has closed boat ramp 6.
It’s official - Canyon Lake has just registered its lowest level in recorded history thanks to two brutally hot, record-breaking summers.
Canyon Lake is currently 68.5% full with a recorded level of 892.65 feet, according to Water Data for Texas and the U.S. Geological Survey.
That surpasses the previous lowest lake elevation ever recorded when the lake reached 892.68 feet on Sept. 9, 2009, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told KSAT. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website lists the lowest level at 892.7 — but either way, current water levels are still the lowest in the history of the lake.
The low water levels have prompted the closing of all but four of Canyon Lake’s 23 boat ramps. The only boat ramps open as of Friday, Aug. 25 are:
- Boat Ramp 6 - located at 2078 Canyon Lake Drive with free access
- Boat Ramp 17 - located at 401 Old Hancock Road with free access
- Boat Ramp 18 - located on Canyon Park Road, requires a fee to access the park
- Boat Ramp 19 - located inside the Canyon Lake Marina, requires a fee
Canyon Lake is actually a reservoir. Construction of Canyon Dam began in 1958 on mile 303 of the Guadalupe River, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
The dam was built to help with flood control and water conservation. Construction on the dam was finished in 1964 and was filled to the conservation pool level by 1968.
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows Comal County is under extreme to exceptional drought conditions along with other portions of central Texas.