LCRA is replacing Burnet County floodgates to keep dam ready to respond to flooding

The first of 10 new floodgates was installed on Burnet County’s Wirtz Dam, which forms Lake LBJ. It is part of Lower Colorado River Authority’s $76 million, three-year project to remove and replace each of the dam’s original floodgates with new, custom-built floodgates made to today’s engineering standards. The dam was completed in 1951 with nine floodgates, and a 10th was added when a power plant was constructed in 1974. “Most of the floodgates have been in place for 73 years, so it’s time for them to be updated,” said Kelly Payne, LCRA vice president of water operations. “We’re in a drought now, but we’re in Flash Flood Alley, and we know the next flood could be right around the corner.” LCRA is replacing the floodgates one at a time so the dam remains operational and ready to pass floodwaters downstream, if needed. The project is expected to be completed in 2025. Throughout the project, the area up to about 300 feet upstream of the dam on Lake LBJ will remain off-limits to boaters.