Dry weather is doing little to combat the flood woes at Little Elm Park.
The town’s centerpiece rec-space and beach remain flooded with little visible improvement since the record May rainfall and tropical storm two weeks ago.
“We watch it every day. We check what the Corps of Engineers is doing,” said Little Elm Parks and Recreation Director Chad Hyde. "Some days we get excited and some days it’s the opposite.”
Hyde said due to their position on Lake Lewisville, the town’s flood situation is subject to whatever waters are being released upstream at Lake Ray Roberts.
As water has been released there to lower flooding at parks, theirs has remained at about the same level as they wait for all of Lewisville’s water to continue down into the Trinity River.
As a result, Little Elm has had to scale back their Fourth of July festivities in the coming week.
Normally events are held all day at the beach park, but for safety the flooded beach area will be closed completely this year, events will be scaled back to the evening only, and everything will be held at the Little Elm Park soccer fields.
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Only boats already on the lake will be able to watch fireworks from the water.
This summer was supposed to be the “christening” for the new beach park that was recently redesigned and improved with volleyball courts, swimming areas and other recreation space.
Unfortunately for the town, all of that is under water now, and they will likely have to deal with repairs to the new area before it ever gets that big public premier.
Hyde said that could even still be a ways away.
“We don’t anticipate the beach opening until summer’s over with,” he said.
The town of Little Elm and the Army Corps of Engineers ask that visitors to the lake continue to observe closures and don’t go around barricades.
As of Tuesday, most parks and boat ramps around Lewisville and other North Texas lakes remained closed.
