Project Progress

Brazos River Authority projects throughout the basin continue to progress, with Lake Limestone nearing the installation of new Tainter gates at its dam, improvements to the Lake Granbury dam and more.

Those visiting Lake Limestone may soon see work being performed on the Sterling C. Robertson Dam at the south end of the water supply reservoir on the Navasota River.

After receiving four bids, the BRA Board of Directors recently approved a $17.7 million contract with McMillen Jacobs Associates for construction services to complete the replacement and improvement of the dam’s five Tainter gates, each stretching 40 feet wide and 29 feet tall. The Tainter gates and the hoist systems play a critical role in safely allowing the passage of water through the dam. The project resulted from engineering inspections identifying the need to replace the gates, initially installed in 1978, which are at the end of their service life. The new gates will help ensure the structure’s ability to operate as intended into the future.

Also at the reservoir, construction is scheduled to be complete soon on the project to upgrade the communication lines to the Lake Limestone office to fiber optic cable. This upgrade will substantially improve the data transfer rate and increase the reliability of Lake Limestone’s communication to coordinate reservoir releases and communication with the public.

Meanwhile, in the upper portion of the Brazos River basin, construction will soon start on a project to improve the flexibility to pass water through Lake Granbury’s DeCordova Bend Dam. The low flow gates pass smaller amounts of water when a full gate release is not necessary. The BRA has selected Marine Diving Solutions, to replace and repair various low-flow outlet sluice gates and ancillary components. The total project cost is $1.9 million which was approved by the BRA Board of Directors at its November 2021 meeting.

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Replacement of Lake Granbury’s old two-slip floating boathouse was completed this quarter and came in under budget. The new facility will house a BRA patrol boat to ensure rapid response to calls for service on the reservoir. Originally budgeted at $285,000, the work was done at $258,233. The more than 25-year-old boathouse and its supporting metal frame were corroded, prompting the need for replacement.

Roughly 30 percent of the design work is complete to stabilize the intake structure on Lake Granger that delivers raw water via pipeline to the East Williamson County Regional Water System. The BRA has owned and operated the East Williamson County Regional Water System, which provides treated water to the city of Taylor, the Jonah Water SUD, and the Lone Star Regional Water Authority since 2004. The shoreline slope between the intake structure and Lake Granger has deteriorated due to long periods of high-water levels. A system will be needed to stabilize the slope and protect the structure from erosion. The design is scheduled to be complete in the last quarter of fiscal year 2022, which ends in August.

Go here to view one-page summaries of details and updates on major BRA projects throughout the Brazos River basin, including status schedule and budget summary. Information on the page is continually updated as goals are met through each project’s progress.