Cape’s Dam vision plan presented to City

Cape’s Dam is back on City Council’s radar.

The San Marcos City Council heard a presentation on Tuesday regarding the potential of partnering with Hays County for restoration of the dam and surrounding areas to create a recreational area for citizens of San Marcos and its neighboring communities.

The presentation, given by Mitch Wright of Vista Planning & Design, shared a visioning study, or conceptual plan of what the area might look like if restored.

The vision plan included the rehabilitation of Cape’s Dam as a crib structure with posts on either side of the dam.

“Cape’s dam is designed as a crib dam which means that water doesn’t just flow over the top, but flows through it,” Wright said. “It’s a porous structure.”

In addition to the dam restoration, the vision plan included safety access to the mill race and Thompson Dam through railing and an observation platform, as well as increased leisure and recreation in the surrounding areas.

If the city decides to move forward with the idea, it could create an interlocal agreement designating the terms of a partnership with Hays County, which has shown interest in partnering with the city on the project. On June 4, the Hays County Commissioners Court authorized the Hays County Historical Commission to commission the Vista Planning & Design visioning study and presentation, which totaled $7,687.50.

“I think we have a really great opportunity to provide this vision as we work through with this concept to part of our county and city that has been underserved in the past,” Hays County Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe said.

Then, according to Wright, the project could move into a master planning process which would include a historical and environmental assessment of the area, including Cape’s Dam.

Council's Response

Following the presentation, Council asked a number of questions relating to the vision study.

Each council member then offered direction to staff on the following two questions: Does council want to proceed with an agreement with Hays County to partner on renovation/rehabilitation of Cape’s Dam, and does council want to explore the larger visioning/master plan concept with Hays County?

While all council members were in favor of the master plan concept, two expressed support for dam restoration, three said they lean toward dam removal and two said they were undecided.

Mayor Pro-Tem Lisa Prewitt said she believes removing the dam would be healthier for the river.

“I lean on the side of dam removal for all the science that’s behind it, but I also think that before you can really ask this body to make a firm decision on that, we need to bring in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish (and Wildlife Services, I think that as I spoke before that’s something that we all need to see and even know if it’s an opportunity or possibility,” Prewitt said

Prewitt also noted that while she is in favor of moving forward with a conceptual plan, she would like to see the see the city maintain control of the area.

“I love that the county wants to offer operations and maintenance,” Prewitt said. “I would hope that we would maybe find an (interlocal agreement) with the county, that they could help fund that as opposed to actually operating it. You know it seems to me that Five Mile Dam has been something that the county has wanted the city to consider taking over over the years as well so I’m not really sure why that would be something that we are asked to do, but they would want to do operations and maintenance so I would want to understand the capacity on that, why there is not capacity in one area but there is on this area.”

Council member Ed Mihalkanin said he is in favor of moving forward with the renovation of the dam.

“I’m in favor with proceeding with an agreement with Hays County to partner on the renovation or rehabilitation of Cape’s Dam,” he said. “I think the earlier studies were flawed and I do agree that I am totally open to having new studies but they must be independent, completely independent of the existing studies. And I’m not so sure if the federal or state agencies are going to necessarily weigh in on recommending but for me this is a real important city issue and its part of our town... So sometimes dams help, sometimes dams don’t and for me I think we should move forward with the renovation of the dam.”

Mayor Jane Hughson said she is on the fence about dam removal.

“I’m still hoping for some way that this crib structure can provide enough flow that we don’t have the sediment in the back behind the dam that we can make things work as if it were removed but yet we can still maintain the mill race,” she said. “And I think that the park is beautiful. I love that it is historical and ecologically based. ... That’s where I am on it.”

Hughson noted that she is concerned about how the financial burden will be shared regarding the plan.

“I really would like to see first, what several people have said, is let’s go to these agencies that we’re going to have to get permits from and see what they say cause I don’t see any point in spending any more money on anything if ultimately the people who get to say yes or no, say no.”

Council then agreed to direct city staff to ask the appropriate state and federal agencies what the city will have to do to either remove or repair the dam, and agreed that understanding the permitting process will give the city a sense of the cost associated.

Community Thoughts

Dianne Wassenich, the former executive director of the San Marcos River Foundation, said during public comment that she is grateful the county brought the issue of Cape’s Dam to the forefront and noted that as the park is planned, the health of the river needs to be paramount, and encouraged council to examine past studies of Cape’s Dam in detail.

“When you have a plan to give to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service they’re going to want to look at alternatives on the ways you’re going to fix the island’s holes, how you’re going to handle the broken down dam, then you’ll get answers from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Find out which alternative will take years and years to permit, try to avoid that one,” Wassenich said. “We believe dam removal will get the park open sooner with fewer repairs after floods for ever and ever after that.”

Brian Olson, a resident of San Marcos and member of Save the SMTX River, said overall the direction that council gave was a positive movement to continue towards a master plan and figuring out how to deal with a structure in the San Marcos River that provides flowing water in the Mill Race while remaining respectful to the ecology of the river.

Olson noted that in the past when council voted to remove Cape’s Dam, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that was representing the City of San Marcos was unsuccessful in obtaining a permit from state and federal agencies to remove the dam.

“They tried to remove the dam, they went through the process to obtain the permits and not one permit was approved to remove, period,” Olson said.