Businesses, residents reckon with a drying Medina Lake

"I miss sitting on my dock in the evenings chilling, watching the fish and turtles. Now I just watch the grass grow.”

The owner of Hancock Resurfacing, Cherry Cove resident Darrell Hancock has lived on the shores of Medina Lake for over 25 years. Although he loves living on the lake, he says he misses being able to put his boat in the water, as well as other aspects that come with a fuller lake.

It’s a sentiment shared not just by residents but by visitors like Jose Diaz, who enjoyed a full moon paddle last November.

“Medina Lake is truly a piece of heaven in Texas. It’s my favorite place, where I go when I need to escape the city, do a major decompression and breathe some peace while paddling.” said Diaz.

Medina Lake is currently just over six percent full, according to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). That percentage is the lowest in over half a decade, when levels dropped as low as 2.7 percent in 2014.

The last day Medina Lake saw 100 percent capacity was July 7, 2019. It has steadily dried up since.

“A resource like this would be virtually impossible to recreate,” said Medina Lake Area resident Jim Ray, owner of Ray Law Firm. “Whether we like it or not, the growth of San Antonio is quickly advancing to our shores, and it is time for us to make a concentrated effort to maximize both its beauty and those irreplaceable opportunities before they are irretrievably lost.”

The Bandera County Park at Medina Lake has been closed since May 2021 due to low water levels, and County Commissioner Greg Grotheus says reopening the location is a waiting game.

“It could be in two days, it could be in two years. It depends on God,” said Grotheus, who began his term as Bandera County Commissioner for Precinct Two earlier this year.

Although the park is closed, Grotheus says work is being done.

“There’s a lot of work to be done at the park, and we’re now updating some of the amenities, such as the tables and benches,” he said. “We are limited on space, and we have some drawbacks due to the narrow watershed. There’s some mismanagement, but the big issue is the rain”

Grotheus added the drought is the main issue impacting water level, but high amounts of straw in the lake also add to water access issues.

While kayaking and paddleboarding are still possible on the water, the closed park keeps access to the lake limited. There aren’t any other public access options for hiking, fishing, or swimming in the Medina Lake area.

Unless one owns lakefront property, the only option for launching a boat for locals is paying $20 a day at Red’s Cove, located in the southern region of the lake near the dam.

Businesses are impacted by the lack of tourism to the county park. Adolph’s Store and Restaurant closed in December 2021 after 91 years of operation. Cloud 9 Snacks closed their storefront on Dec. 30, 2022.

Longtime resident Bob Brischetto says the severe drought makes it impossible to run a reliable water sport business in the area.

Restaurants like 4 Way Bar and Grill, Out of the Way Cafe, La Cabana Cafe and Lucy's BBQ are still open, while other businesses like Lake Medina RV resort have learned to adapt to an empty lake.

Gina Grothues, who owns Lake Medina RV Resort with her husband, says the location offers other activities when the lake is low such as pickleball, fossil hunting and hiking.

Brichestto says the impact of the lake's current status reaches beyond tourism.

“There is also the loss of water through inefficient delivery to farmers by the dam owners, who often leave the dam gates open,” he said. “Much water is also lost through seepage in the unlined canals that deliver water to the farmers.”

In terms of moving forward, Brischetto says the community will have to adjust habits regarding water conservation and reuse.

“We will need to adjust to new technologies that make development and growth less taxing on our natural resources,” said Brischetto. “And we will need to take seriously the problem of climate change and adopt global solutions”

Other area business owners and residents voiced the importance of conserving water and working with various agencies.

“Nobody benefits from an empty lake,” said Michelle Reichle, the owner of Hi Energy Realty in Lakehills who has lived on the lake for 22 years.

Reichle says her business has not suffered in the wake of the drought and low lake levels, but that’s only because she works with properties outside of Medina Lake, including Lakehills, Pipe Creek and Boerne. She adds selling houses on a near empty lake is obviously more challenging, and lakefront sales have been down.

Reichle says she believes area agencies like the Bexar-Medina-Atascosa Counties Water Control and Improvement District No. 1 (BMA) and river authority and groundwater districts in Bandera and Medina County could work together to share skills and resources to address the situation.

“I find the BMA board and many of their staff unfriendly, unapproachable and uncaring,” said Reichle. “There could be enough water for everybody if it was not wasted. Many businesses suffer with an empty lake, wells are going dry, and the fish are dying.”

She says she would like to see a conservation level set for the lake and drought contingency plans followed, as well as transparency regarding use of irrigation water.

“I think after 100-plus years, we should brainstorm methods of delivering water to the farmers that is not so wasteful,” she said. “I would like to see the BMA board’s membership changed to reflect all stakeholders that use Medina Lake waters.”

BMA did not return the Bulletins request for comment, but last July adopted a resolution agreeing not to assert “regulatory authority over property in Bandera County,” marking the end of an almost decade-long legal battle with the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District (BCRAGD)

“People who live in Bandera County, right around the lake, are not going to have to pay any attention to any comments, rules or regulations or anything else that might come out of the BMA,” BCRAGD attorney Greg Ellis, attorney for the Bandera County River Authority said in a statement following the decision. “All existing agreements with the BMA are not affected, and people can enter into voluntary agreements, but otherwise, the people there do not have to pay attention.”

In light of that decision, the BMA may still file complaints to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regarding unlawful diversions of water from Medina Lake or if they believe a Bandera County well is producing water from Medina Lake storage.

BMA may also file complaints if they believe a Bandera County septic tank on property adjacent to Medina Lake is not functioning or is discharging untreated or partially treated human waste into Medina Lake.

A Save Medina Lake petition to the state of Texas to increase oversight and control of Medina Lake water management has received 680 signatures since its publication last November.

“The BMA watery delivery system is a joke,” said Save Medina Lake committee member Mike Crandall. He owns Mico’s Wally’s Watersports, which opens during the summer months for kayak rentals, boat and RV storage and ski and wake board lessons.

In addition to asking for equal representation on BMA’s board, the petition also asks for BMA to be placed under Sunset Review and replaced with a River Authority. Save Medina Lake also is asking the state to establish a conservation level and change drought laws so they can be enforced.

While groups press for solutions and others wait for rain, Ray says he time is not on Medina Lake’s side.

“We must make a concentrated effort to do what is required before this once in a lifetime opportunity is lost,” he said. “Medina Lake is far more than a mere irrigation reservoir. It is literally the lifeblood of our region, and a virtually untapped resource. To do nothing, or to believe that nothing can be done to preserve and enhance it, is simply not true.

Information about the Bandera County Medina Lake Park can be found at banderacounty.org/services/MedinaLakePark.htm.

More information about the Bandera County Commissioners can be found at banderacounty.org/departments/CommissionerCourt.htm or by dialing 830-796-3781.

More information about the BMA can be found at bmawater.org.
More information about Save Medina Lake can be found at facebook.com/savemedinalake.