WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Brazos Park East is experiencing the effects of water level fluctuations at Lake Brazos, which started Friday. The boat ramps are currently closed as water levels are expected to be low.
Local paddle board company owner Summer Shine says the changing water conditions are affecting her business operations, but she remains optimistic about safety on the river.
Watch the full story here:
"We've had a lot of fun out on the river," Shine said.
Shine owns Sunshine Paddle Adventures and Waco Paddle on the Brazos River.
"It offers a lot of different scenery from like wilderness scenery to downtown socializing, so it's been great," she said.
The past month has been challenging with flooding near the dams affecting water levels. Now she must prepare for additional changes with planned water fluctuations on Lake Brazos.
The City of Waco announced that starting Friday, lake levels will change significantly due to planned infrastructure maintenance and water releases following recent heavy rains. The affected area could include properties from the Lake Brazos Dam to Buster Chatham Road.
There has been some confusion about Lake Brazos's actual location. According to city officials, Lake Brazos is the area of the river from the Lake Brazos Dam, spanning approximately 10.1 river miles upstream. The area is technically a lake because of the low water dam.
While Shine and her team always monitor weather and other factors before taking people on tours, they'll be watching flow rates from the dams and water levels especially closely this weekend, but will continue operating as usual.
"I think that the way it will impact us the most is that people are afraid. They're hearing one thing on the news and then seeing another thing at the river. The Lake Brazos River is not a place to be feared. It's a place to understand. And the more understanding you have of what's going on with currents and wind and fluctuations in the river, the easier it is to understand it. It is a safe place to be," Shine said.
The City of Waco says the fluctuating water levels in Lake Brazos will continue into the second week of August. They're encouraging everyone to use extra caution near the water during this time.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
