FORT WORTH, Texas – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials at Town Bluff Dam/B.A. Steinhagen Lake, Woodville, Texas, (locally known as Dam B) announced today that the process to re-fill B.A. Steinhagen Lake began on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The necessary maintenance work on the Robert D. Willis Powerhouse, which required a complete drawdown of the lake, has been successfully completed ahead of schedule.
The current schedule is to have the lake back up to full pool (82.5’ above mean sea level) by August 15 at the latest, but the rate of rise will depend on several key factors: inflow from the Neches River, Sam Rayburn Dam releases on the Angelina River through hydropower generation, and the downstream flow requirements over the next few weeks.
Throughout the day, the Sam Rayburn hydropower generation schedule will continue to create pulses of water causing peak and valley water-level fluctuations to occur on the Angelina and Neches Rivers between Sam Rayburn and B.A. Steinhagen.
While B.A. Steinhagen is re-filling, the water-level fluctuations will become less pronounced as the lake level rises. If the Neches River watershed above the lake receives any substantial rain over the next few weeks or if the generation from Sam Rayburn Reservoir is increased, it may allow the full pool elevation to be reached more quickly.
Public access to East End Day Use area, the Town Bluff Dam spillway, the fishing platforms at the Robert D. Willis Powerhouse and the east side of the floodgate structure are scheduled to open on July 24, 2023.
Be advised that this scheduled date, to reach full pool, may be impacted by rainfall or changes to hydropower generation schedules at Sam Rayburn, but every effort will be made to return the lake to a usable elevation as quickly as possible.
Foot access to the exposed lake bottom is permitted but discouraged, as mud flats can be unstable and present a safety hazard. All vehicle and ATV/UTV traffic on the lakebed is prohibited.
For additional information, please reach out to the Town Bluff Lake Office at (409) 429-3491.