Another Dam, Another Failure - This time of a spillway gate

It hasn't been a catastrophic failure. But a failure nonetheless. Lake Gonzales’ dam spill gate failure brings uncertainty for residents, wildlife and environment

Officials with the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority(GBRA), which manages regional waterways, say a large tree became lodged in the spill gate on Aug. 3. The weight of the tree and the resulting water pressure may have led to the spill gate’s failure.

The lake is 12 miles west of Gonzales, or about an hour’s drive east of downtown San Antonio.

And there is a statistic that is worth taking note of.

A sobering line from the magazine’s investigation: “Of the approximately 300 dam failures in Texas since 1910, half have occurred in the last nine years.”

Every dam in the world needs maintenance. And eventually they will probably all need replacement, or at least very serious work. Nothing lasts forever.