I have been receiving questions and comments on the lake closure and its re-opening.
The Board adopted a Lake Closure policy in November of 2016. The purpose of closing the lake is to protect public safety and minimize property damage. The District attempts to balance the fact that Lake Cypress Springs is a multi-use reservoir with different recreational uses.
This policy is based on components of the damage curve of on-water facilities that were included in the Flood Relief Project Alternatives engineering report, dated March 2017 and recommendations from the District's engineers, Carollo. This damage curve gave the District engineers an idea at what lake level what number of on-water facilities are being inundated. That data was then used to determine the appropriate lake level to use in developing the policy to balance closing access to a public reservoir and trying to minimize damage.
Per this policy, the lake is closed to all boat traffic when the level of the lake is 2 1/2 feet above conservation pool (378 feet MSL). The lake is reopened when the level falls below the trigger point of 380.5 feet MSL and looks like the trend is for the lake level to continue to fall. The weather forecast is taken into account, as well as if more rainfall is imminent. If the lake level falls slightly below the trigger point, it would remain closed until the District is sure it is below the trigger point and trending downwards.