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Water Tops Spillway at Lake Texoma 1957, 1990, 2015  Denison Herald May 3, 1990 HISTORY REPEATS : water tops spillway by John Clift Herald State Editor It took only 13 years for Lake Texoma to go over the spillway in what U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials at the time called "a once in a hundred years" situation once the border lake was completed. Today just 33 years after the water crested at Texoma on June 6, 1967 at 643.18 feet, the water once again went over the spillway. The Engineers officially clocked the time for the second historic event taking place at 12:05 a.m. today, according to Herb Smith, area manager for the Corps at the Denison Dam. The lake level was nearing 641 feet shortly before noon today as torrents of water from the rampaging Red and Washita Rivers continued to pour into Texoma. However, late this morning Smith still had no hydrology report on the expected crest of the lake. At mid-morning, the bridge across the Washita between Tishomingo and Madill was closed when the rising water in the river swollen even more by additional rainfall last night, covered the floor of the span. The spectacle of Texoma's own Niagara brough spectators by the thousands to the Denison Dam today, seeking a glimpse of the 2,000 foot wide waterfall. Too, hundreds were attracted by the foaming wake below below the dam as the flood gates were opened to funnel a total of 60,000 cubic feet of water per second down the Red River.  Water coming through the flood gates at Denison Dam Saturday, May 5, 1990 contributed by Kathie Guthrie Fox  "When it became obvious Wednesday that Texoma was going over the spillway once again, my staff here at the Denison Dam alerted sources downstream that they could expect the flood that would follow when the water went over," Smith said. While it was not business as usual at most resorts on Texoma, many were able to maintain some semblance of service to customers, even if it was only shuttle service to and from their boats. However, Nick Cooper at Big Mineral Camp could only provide guard service to the dozens of mobile homes that he had pulled from the face of the advancing water to higher ground. Even so, nine homes and his main resort building all were under water today. The only people allowed in the area were property owners. At Cedar Mills, cars could get only within range of the resort. A boat shuttle carried those people across the flooded road where a van took them to the boat shuttle or the resort office. ...Two of Lake Texoma's major hotel facilities, Tanglewood Resort, north of Pottsboro and the Texoma State Park Lodge and cabins at the west end of the Roosevelt bridge, are well above the 640 foot elevation and were open for business much as usual. While the Corps put up barricades on both ends of 75-A from the south government line to the overlook station last night, it wasn't until mid-morning today that water from the spillway had filled Shawnee Creek and covered the highway. "This is my first time with the water going over the spillway and I wasn't sure how long it would take for the water to cover the road. I just didn't want to take any chances," Smith said.  Highway 91 below Denison Dam, destroyed by spillway water May 5th, 1990  Lake Texoma Spillway Overflows, 1957 Lake Texoma Spillway Overflows, 1990 Lake Texoma Spillway Overflows, 2007 Lake Texoma Spillway Overflows, 2015 Flood Waters, 1990 Lake Texoma Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson CountyTXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |