Completed repairs allow water levels to recover at Wood County reservoir

WOOD COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - Weather damage to an East Texas freshwater reservoir had the lake level down numerous feet over a nearly three year period, but that has been resolved.

The area affected was near the Lake Fork dam in Wood County. Lake Fork suffered damage to its dam in 2021 from 40- to 45-mile-per hour winds that drove waves into the structure, eroding parts of the dam at the water line and below.

“We had some damage to our soil cement, which is the hard surface embankment on the dam reservoir side. At that time, the lake was about three feet low,” said Troy Henry of the Sabine River Authority.

Work began to repair the damaged areas, then more damage was discovered under the surface.

“They noticed, below the water surface, additional areas of damage, so the decision was made, a press release was issued, to draw the reservoir down and additional three feet. At the end of December 2021, that lake was about six feet low,” Henry said.

The more they repaired, the more evidence of damage appeared.

“When the lake was drawn down and the guys went in for repairs, even more damage was found below the surface. The last few repairs were made by divers,” Troy said.

The 27,000-acre lake is a primary freshwater source for surrounding communities, and two years later, the lake is in good shape.

“With rain and runoff, we’re about 2-and-a-half inches from reaching our conservation pool, which is a good place for us to be this time of year,” said Henry.

Unlike water reservoirs, Corps of Engineers lakes regularly release water in anticipation of winter and spring rains, to avoid flooding from the release of excess water.