By RICHARD PORTER
Herald Staff Writer
Board of directors for the Mackenzie Municipal Water Authority voted recently to temporarily close Lake Mackenzie to all jet skis and water skiers.
Emmett Tomlin, park superintendent and assistant general manager, said the move is temporary and was done out of safety concerns.
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He explained that while the lake located northwest of Silverton still is safe for regular boat traffic and good for fishing, people being towed behind a boat on skies or tubes, or riding personal watercraft, could be injured in certain parts of the lake that are shallow.
Tomlin said the steps were necessary because of the continued decline in the level of the lake. However, he emphasized that the restrictions were not aimed at normal boat traffic.
According to information provided by the Texas Water Development Board’s Web site on Tuesday, the lake is only 12.59 percent full. It has a capacity of approximately 46,500 acre-feet and currently is only holding 5,845.
Tomlin pointed out that the lake did not rise any over the summer.
In fact, he said, “We haven’t had any rise in the lake since 2002.”
Drops in the lake level are not uncommon in the summer, Tomlin said. Not only is it hot, and usually dry, the reservoir supplies water to four surrounding towns: Floydada, Lockney, Silverton and Tulia.
“During the summer, it’s not unusual for us to drop a foot a month,” he said.
Exacerbating the problem is the fact that the late fall and early winter has been dry.
Tomlin said the springs which feed the lake may stop flowing during the summer but usually pick up again in the fall and winter. That hasn’t happened this year.
The result?
“We’re losing 4-6 inches a month right now,” he said.
The lake was established in the mid-1970s. The dam was completed in August 1974 and the lake opened to the public in May 1976. The surface acres of the lake are 896 acres and the drainage area is 188 square miles.
The Mackenzie Municipal Water Authority was established by an act of the Texas Legislature in 1965 and contains about 70 miles of pipeline that moves water to the four member communities, according to the authority’s Web site.
While the lake serves as a source for municipal water, it also provides area residents with recreation opportunities.
In addition to water activities, there are more than 30 miles of trails for mountain biking and ATV use, as well as camping facilities.
Still, it is the water sports that are the issue and Tomlin pointed out that the ban on skiing and watercraft use is only temporary. If the lake rises to the point that it is once again safe for water sports, the ban will be lifted, he said.
Original Article located:
Plainview Herald
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