Lake Lewisville

[dfwcre8tive]

Mystery at Lewisville Lake: Who cut down the trees?
Dead timber on 130 acres kept erosion at bay, benefited fish
11:17 PM CST on Saturday, March 11, 2006
By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News

The sea of stumps stretches for acres in every direction. The drying lakebed is littered with cut timber that for decades protruded from the water, warning boaters of shallow depths and providing fish with cover and food.

This year, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials discovered a mystery they're still trying to solve: who used a chain saw to cut about 3,000 to 4,000 dead trees on 130 acres of exposed lakebed near Hickory Creek sometime last fall. Also unknown is how they managed to saw thousands of them down to the stump without being seen. Their motive is even more elusive.

But the biggest question surrounding the discovery is how it's going to affect the lake when the water rises to normal levels. "It's going to surprise some people when we do publish some damage figures," said Randall Mayne, a natural resources and recreation manager for the corps.

The recent drought has left the lake level more than 5 feet below normal. At normal levels, the dead trees would have protruded about 2 to 3 feet above the water. Now the sawed-off stumps are expected to be completely underwater once levels return to normal. What's more, whoever cut the trees left the timber along the soft lakebed. Once the water rises, officials say, the timber will become driftwood and will float through other areas of the lake.

That could cause trouble for boat motors. And because the trees no longer stick out of the water, shorelines throughout that area will erode faster because there will be no trees to slow the waves. "We can only speculate as to why they would be interested in going through the effort of cutting down trees," Mr. Mayne said. "They probably thought they were helping us. They actually created a bigger problem."

One of the biggest problems: The trees have long served as habitat for fish. When the lake is full, the immersed trunks grow and attract food for smaller fish. Those fish, in turn, become food for larger fish. "Each one of those trees, for the most part, becomes an ecosystem," Mr. Mayne said.

In fact, when the corps raised the lake level about 10 feet in the mid-1980s, it purposely left those trees in place so the lake, long known as a party boating spot, would have more fishing opportunities.

Guy Skinner of Flower Mound shook his head in disbelief when he heard about the trees. The licensed freshwater fishing guide has been catching fish for more than five decades. The cove where the trees were cut has long been his favorite spot to catch crappie. "It disgusts me is what it does," he said. "I mean, we don't have a lot of natural resources, and fishing not only provides a sport but it provides a lot of pleasure and a lot of just good times."

He said he'll return to the area this year to see how it has changed. But he also fears he'll have to find a new favorite fishing hole. "It probably has that area pretty well tanked. It's extremely frustrating," Mr. Skinner said. "You're not talking about something that was done overnight."

Officials also are afraid that boaters unfamiliar with the area won't realize how shallow some parts of the cove will be if trees aren't sticking out of the water. They're still trying to decide whether they can collect the timber or if they should close the area to boaters. "There's going to be a lot of issues that need to be addressed before we figure out what to do," said Steve Lindamood, a park ranger for the corps.

The spot was a popular one for professional anglers who competed in last year's Bassmaster Elite 50 tournament. Lewisville officials lauded that competition, which put the city and its namesake lake in the national spotlight as a great place to catch fish. While city officials don't think this will hurt the lake's overall fish population, they're not pleased. "It does concern us that a thoughtless or even malicious act like this could hurt the lake for 50 years," said James Kunke, the city's spokesman.

Mr. Lindamood said it could be a while before the corps comes up with a plan. Mr. Skinner said he knows a few fishermen who'd be willing to help build manmade habitats for the fish. But everyone who loves the lake agrees that something has been lost forever, even though the entire lake won't be affected. "It won't ever be as good as it was," Mr. Mayne said. "It won't grow back."

Mr. Mayne said that if the investigation leads to a suspect, there are plans to prosecute and possibly seek restitution. That's little comfort for folks such as Mr. Skinner. "You can't have restitution for something like that," he said. "That is a damage that can't be fixed."

E-mail bformby@dallasnews.com

[Route Pack Six]

I tell you what, I bet it's dem CIA black helicopters and all, flyin' in the night and doin' hellacious stuff like cuttin' dem trees down and stealin' cattle livers.

[dfwcre8tive]

2/8/2007
Feds bust lake tree-cutters
Marcia Rios
Sun Writer
http://www.lakecities.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=86&ArticleID=2209

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed federal investigators have determined the identity of and are negotiating with those responsible for a crime committed on Lewisville Lake where more than 130 acres of flooded timber were cut with chainsaws in Corinth, Hickory Creek, and Denton County's extraterritorial jurisdiction in December 2005.

The crime created an outrage in wildlife lovers and sportsmen as it left unprecedented destruction to a vital fish and wildlife habitat.

Doug Cox, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operations manager, said both parties are currently negotiating restitution for the crime.

Cox said he is not at liberty to release the name(s) of the person or people involved, nor the details of the negotiations. He said the federal government thoroughly investigated the crime to ensure justice was served.

"We left no rock uncovered in the investigation," Cox said.

Federal investigators said they had questioned many Lake Cities residents regarding the incident.

The area involved served as an important fish habitat and was a huge recreational draw to hundreds of fishermen who caught record-breaking fish routinely there. The lake received national recognition in 2005 as host of a high profile bass tournament.

Corps of Engineers Ranger Steve Lindamood said the destruction occurred during a period when the rangers were working at half manpower due to their assisting hurricane relief efforts.

"This lake will never be the same. It made me very angry when I came out here to see what had happened. I was the first one from our office who came out, and I just couldn't believe it. We are the custodians, and the caretakers of this lake and these animals, and to see what someone had done while we were helping with the hurricane relief just really got to me," Lindamood said when the destruction was discovered.

"Obviously someone felt the law didn't apply to them, and had no qualms about destroying this large area. Whoever did this crossed the creek channel onto the island, cut that down, then they crossed to the other side and cut all that down, too."

"We usually have six people working three lakes, but due to Katrina and Rita, we were down to three staff and obviously couldn't watch the lake the way we would like to," Lindamood said.

Lindamood estimated between 3,000 to 6,000 stumps had been cut in the area beginning directly south of Eagle Aries in Hickory Creek, continuing through the area south of the property once known as Canyon Lake Ranch, through an area south of a new residential development in Corinth and Denton County, and ending south of the western edge of the residential development.

When asked if any lakes in the area or the country had ever sustained such damage, Lindamood said nothing had been seen which would even come close to the destruction seen in this incident.

The cleanup effort on the south side of the lake channel off Bishop Lane in Double Oak began on June 17, 2006. Thirty stacks of cut timbers were piled up to 12 feet high and 12 feet in diameter. The wood stacks were covered with rolls of chain link fencing and anchored with unopened bags of powdered concrete mix. The stacks were designed to serve as a habitat to fish that lost valuable homes during the incident.

Cox said Thursday the stacks are working well to keep the cut timbers from floating on the surface of the lake.

[mrowl]

2/8/2007
Feds bust lake tree-cutters
Marcia Rios
Sun Writer
http://www.lakecities.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=86&ArticleID=2209

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed federal investigators have determined the identity of and are negotiating with those responsible for a crime committed on Lewisville Lake where more than 130 acres of flooded timber were cut with chainsaws in Corinth, Hickory Creek, and Denton County's extraterritorial jurisdiction in December 2005.

The crime created an outrage in wildlife lovers and sportsmen as it left unprecedented destruction to a vital fish and wildlife habitat.

Doug Cox, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operations manager, said both parties are currently negotiating restitution for the crime.

Cox said he is not at liberty to release the name(s) of the person or people involved, nor the details of the negotiations. He said the federal government thoroughly investigated the crime to ensure justice was served.

"We left no rock uncovered in the investigation," Cox said.

Federal investigators said they had questioned many Lake Cities residents regarding the incident.

The area involved served as an important fish habitat and was a huge recreational draw to hundreds of fishermen who caught record-breaking fish routinely there. The lake received national recognition in 2005 as host of a high profile bass tournament.

Corps of Engineers Ranger Steve Lindamood said the destruction occurred during a period when the rangers were working at half manpower due to their assisting hurricane relief efforts.

"This lake will never be the same. It made me very angry when I came out here to see what had happened. I was the first one from our office who came out, and I just couldn't believe it. We are the custodians, and the caretakers of this lake and these animals, and to see what someone had done while we were helping with the hurricane relief just really got to me," Lindamood said when the destruction was discovered.

"Obviously someone felt the law didn't apply to them, and had no qualms about destroying this large area. Whoever did this crossed the creek channel onto the island, cut that down, then they crossed to the other side and cut all that down, too."

"We usually have six people working three lakes, but due to Katrina and Rita, we were down to three staff and obviously couldn't watch the lake the way we would like to," Lindamood said.

Lindamood estimated between 3,000 to 6,000 stumps had been cut in the area beginning directly south of Eagle Aries in Hickory Creek, continuing through the area south of the property once known as Canyon Lake Ranch, through an area south of a new residential development in Corinth and Denton County, and ending south of the western edge of the residential development.

When asked if any lakes in the area or the country had ever sustained such damage, Lindamood said nothing had been seen which would even come close to the destruction seen in this incident.

The cleanup effort on the south side of the lake channel off Bishop Lane in Double Oak began on June 17, 2006. Thirty stacks of cut timbers were piled up to 12 feet high and 12 feet in diameter. The wood stacks were covered with rolls of chain link fencing and anchored with unopened bags of powdered concrete mix. The stacks were designed to serve as a habitat to fish that lost valuable homes during the incident.

Cox said Thursday the stacks are working well to keep the cut timbers from floating on the surface of the lake.

"negotiations"??? whoever did this should just go straight to jail, there should be no negotiations.

[RobertB]

"negotiations"??? whoever did this should just go straight to jail, there should be no negotiations.
This is just bizarre. The DMN reports that it was the developer who owns the land just north of the affected area! There's nothing I can find that tells why on Earth he decided to do it. Maybe he wanted the lake to look more lake-y, and all those dead trees were messing up the scene. Kinda like cutting down the Redwood Forest so you can have a better view of the stars. :confused:

Exerpts:


Exclusive: Settlement reached in tree stump case
11:32 AM CDT on Thursday, April 19, 2007
By STELLA M. CHÁVEZ / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/042007dnmettreestumps.24e92e89.html

A Double Oak developer has agreed to pay a $630,000 settlement to the U.S. government for damage caused by the removal of thousands of trees on federal property at Lewisville Lake.

An official with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it is the largest such settlement in the region.

Frank Kerr and Kerr Real Estate Inc. deny any wrongdoing but have agreed to pay the settlement to move forward with their planned development along the lake, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

[...] In January 2006, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discovered about 4,000 trees had been cut down with a chain saw. It’s believed the standing timber, which was then in a dry lake bed, was destroyed around that time or as early as December 2005.

The damaged area covers about 83 acres and is just south of the site of Mr. Kerr’s planned subdivision in Corinth known as The Bluffs at Pinnell Pointe.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/graphics/0407/0414wes_bluffs.jpg

[...] [Assistant U.S. attorney Kevin] McClendon said proof of the damage was circumstantial, and that’s why the federal government pursued a civil case. A criminal case required a higher standard of proof. In cases like this, a criminal prosecution could have resulted in a minimal jail sentence or a smaller fine.

He added that the agreement does not prevent the government from criminally prosecuting other individuals.

As part of the agreement, Mr. Kerr and Kerr Real Estate Inc. have agreed to make storm water drainage improvements to ensure that water runoff from the new development won’t cause any problems or damage the Corps’ property and the lake.

In addition, Kerr Real Estate Inc. has granted an easement to the city of Corinth for the public to use as a walking, hiking or horse trail.

[...] In 2005, local developer Ben Pinnell wanted to develop the area and turn it into a subdivision called The Bluffs at Pinnell Pointe. The land is south of FM2181 and Lake Bluffs Estates. He said at the time that lots were estimated to cost $125,000 to $500,000.

Mr. Pinnell was the largest single contributor to city council races that year, as well as last year, according to campaign finance reports. Mr. Pinnell and two business partners gave $23,546.63 to city council members’ campaigns in 2005 and 2006, reports show.

Deed records show that on Feb. 8, 2006, Mr. Kerr’s company purchased the land from WTPJ Realty, which Mr. Pinnell has an interest in.

Mr. Pinnell also helped finance the deal, lending Mr. Kerr’s company $5.5 million, deed records show. Mr. Kerr’s company also borrowed an additional $2.8 million from a bank, according to deed records.

[UptownDallas]

Wow, what a nice deal for Mr. Kerr!

For an after-the-fact fee of $630,000, he got the rights to clear out all the dead trees from the portion of the lake adjacent to his high-end development.

I bet his return on investment (in the form of higher lot values) was pretty sweet.

[RobertB]

Wow, what a nice deal for Mr. Kerr!

For an after-the-fact fee of $630,000, he got the rights to clear out all the dead trees from the portion of the lake adjacent to his high-end development.

I bet his return on investment (in the form of higher lot values) was pretty sweet.
Well, don't forget the "sacrifice" he made by being "forced" to include that hiking/horseback trail.

Here's a smiley playing the world's tiniest violin, just for Mr. Kerr.
http://www.council-of-elrond.com/forums/images/smilies/boohoo.gif
(found it here (http://www.council-of-elrond.com/forums/misc.php?do=showsmilies))

[3rd time the charm]

This happened in little elm about 5 years ago or so. Guy took out all the stumps in the lakefront water, was fined and went broke. All thats left of his development is part of the brick fencing and some roads.

[RobertB]

This happened in little elm about 5 years ago or so. Guy took out all the stumps in the lakefront water, was fined and went broke. All thats left of his development is part of the brick fencing and some roads.
Interesting. If it's happened before, why did the DMN play up the story as a mystery, instead of looking at the shoreline from the start?

Obviously, the feds didn't make that mistake. I just wish corporate wrongdoers were subject to the same indignities as mere humans. When Joe Woodcutter is accused of a crime, his mug is all over the news faster than you can say "alleged suspect". But in this case, apparently everyone involved knew where the investigation was heading from the start... but nobody picked up the story.

I'll bet you a box of fish heads* that the fishing guide mentioned in the story had also fingered the developer from the start -- but nobody outside the bait shack ever heard about it.

* Figuratively. You want the fish heads so bad, get 'em yerself.

[Lakewooder]

Anyone who has dealt with the Army Corps of Engineers knows that corruption runs high in that organization. Enforcement of laws is very capricious and apparently bribery, prevarication and politics is widespread. The Corps sees itself above Congressional oversight.

[NThomas]

Found this on surfing the web: a rendering of the bridge that crossed the spillway of Lake Dallas (the original lake)

http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/32640484.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/32640484)

I had a macroeconomics teacher who spent an entire 50 min lecture about this bridge before Lake Lewisville was formed by the dam downstream and the existing Lake Dallas. Long story short, he was pissed about the toll rates on then new Lake Lewisville Toll Bridge and couldn't figure out why they got rid of this thing.

[electricron]

Found this on surfing the web: a rendering of the bridge that crossed the spillway of Lake Dallas (the original lake)

http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/32640484.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/32640484)

I had a macroeconomics teacher who spent an entire 50 min lecture about this bridge before Lake Lewisville was formed by the dam downstream and the existing Lake Dallas. Long story short, he was pissed about the toll rates on then new Lake Lewisville Toll Bridge and couldn't figure out why they got rid of this thing.

Doesn't anyone remember the droughts of the 1950s?
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/parks/1950s/page1.html
Texas was a land known for its repeated dry spells, but it had never seen anything like the drought of the 1950s. From 1950 to 1957, Texas baked under the most severe drought in recorded history. The total rainfall was off by 40%, and excessive high summer temperatures made the situation that much worse. In one year, 1952, Lubbock did not record even a trace of rain for the entire year.
The drought devastated Texas agriculture and greatly affected lakes and reservoirs. For example, Lake Dallas fell to an astounding 11% of capacity. Most of the state was under strict water rationing, and many cities had to truck in drinking water from Oklahoma. The High Plains endured dust storms for the first time since the Dust Bowl era. By the time the drought ended (typically, with a devastating flood), all but ten of Texas’s 254 counties had been declared federal disaster areas.

And that's why House Speaker Sam Rayburn at the time earmarked many water projects around Dallas, although Lake Lewisville fiscal authorization preceded 1950....

[Alex Rodriguez]

Nice find, NThomas

You can still see most of the old dam, and the asphalt for the bridge approaches hidden beneath weeds. Everything I've been able to find on the old bridge indicates it wasn't exactly built to last. However, I do wonder why they wouldn't have rebuilt it seeing as the new dam was much lower in elevation. Perhaps after blowing up a huge chuck of the dam, the engineers didn't feel it was feasible to build a new support structure for a bridge on the old dam. Who knows.

[dfwcre8tive]

Nice find, NThomas

You can still see most of the old dam, and the asphalt for the bridge approaches hidden beneath weeds. Everything I've been able to find on the old bridge indicates it wasn't exactly built to last. However, I do wonder why they wouldn't have rebuilt it seeing as the new dam was much lower in elevation. Perhaps after blowing up a huge chuck of the dam, the engineers didn't feel it was feasible to build a new support structure for a bridge on the old dam. Who knows.

I think the supports, along with the old dam, are still there:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=dallas+map&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Dallas,+Texas&gl=us&ei=s9WsS-fsPJO6NZf57LQO&ved=0CA0Q8gEwAA&ll=33.116565,-96.991738&spn=0.001786,0.002787&t=h&z=19

[CasperITL]

I think the supports, along with the old dam, are still there:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=dallas+map&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Dallas,+Texas&gl=us&ei=s9WsS-fsPJO6NZf57LQO&ved=0CA0Q8gEwAA&ll=33.116565,-96.991738&spn=0.001786,0.002787&t=h&z=19

When the water is high enough, one can easily drive a boat over the old Spillway seen in the old postcard.

Also, I don't believe they dynamited the old dam, they just dropped the water level and removed the rocks piece by piece. This section is known as "the cut" at the lake. It has been expanded over the last decade. It can become a very busy spot if anglers try and anchor there to fish. Pisses everyone else off.

[LesCharles73]

Slight necropost.

Anyone have any idea of what they might have done with the old bridge? My guess is that they either dismantled and recycled it, or dumped it in the lake.

Here's my theory on why they didn't reuse it.

For one, it was only one lane. That would definitely be a problem these days. But the main issue is that the dam is very unstable these days. If you look at the back of the dam, you can see that it is only about half the thickness that it once was. This is because, as a dam, it was not designed to have water on both sides. The water currently on the unprotected side has been eroding the dam little by little for the past 60 years. The rear of the dam is composed mostly of sand, so as to serve as a "seepage drain" for when it was holding back a lake. Its strength is at the front (where the rocks, or "rip-rap" are located). Add enough water to the back side of any earthen dam and it will eventually melt away and fail.

I think this is why they didn't keep the road there. Because it was a perfectly fine supporting structure when it was being used as designed, but now that the water is acting on it from the other side (the air face, to get technical), the entire structure is compromised. It was probably cheaper and safer to build the toll bridge than it would have been to build a new road on an already unstable structure. It would have also been more invasive on the lake's ecosystem.

Hope this helps!

[tamtagon]

^Welcome, Les Charles.

[LesCharles73]

Thank you!!

If anyone has any further historical information or facts about the old dam, feel free to share! Also, if anyone has any questions about it, I have done a little research and might be of help.

Thanks!

Les