Flooding of Medina Dam

The Medina Lake Dam and Diversion Dam are located on the Medina River in Medina County, Texas. The facility is owned and operated by the Bexar – Medina – Atascosa (BMA) Counties Water Control Improvement District Number 1. The dams were inspected, as required, under the Texas dam safety program in April 2002. In July 2002, the flood of record hit both dams, resulting in the greatest loading event both dams had experienced during their existance. Due to the significant discharges and very high reservoir water surface levels in the reservoir, the event generated a great deal of exitement with the public. During the July 2002 flood the dam was inspected by state officials from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC). Neither the results from the previous safety inspection, nor engineering data on the dams were not available during the inspection. Due to the potential increase in flooding due to continued heavy rainfall, and the lack of engineering data, the community of Castroville, Texas, located about 13 miles downstream of the main dam, was evacuated as a precautionary measure. A post-flood inspection of the dam was performed in September 2002 to evaluated any damage that may have occurred as a results of the July 2002 flood. This paper discussed the observation of the April safety inspection, July flood inspection, and September post-flood inspection. 14 pp., 9 photographs, 17 references.