Rising Lakes Again Force Closures in Denton County

For the second time this year, several Denton County residents are looking for alternate ways to get around as flooding cuts off their usual routes.

Shady Shores Road just south of Denton was closed for months this spring and summer, and is now shut down again with water flooding the street in three spots.

Just like in the spring, it’s because Lewisville Lake is again swollen above its normal capacity.

As of Monday afternoon, the lake was seven feet above conservation pools according to the Army Corps of Engineers website.

County Emergency Management Coordinator Jody Gonzalez said that prompted closures to a few roads, including Shady Shores and some in the Highway 380 corridor.

Gonzalez said the flash flood threat has now shrunk to a minimum as the lake level issue takes center stage.

Lake Ray Roberts is also registering at about five feet above conservation and Lake Grapevine is coming in 14 feet high, that lake rising about 19 feet in just the past few days.

Several parks have also taken on water prompting partial closures of grounds and boat ramps again.

In Little Elm, the new beach park leaders who worked all summer to clean up have again taken on large amounts of water in the area.

Though few are using the lake at this time, several people flocked to the area Monday to take a look at the flooding.

Residents near Shady Shores Road like Larry Byers said they’re just glad that this time the water there didn’t reach homes, though many of their commutes have doubled thanks to the re-flooding on the Shady Shores Drive.

“Just have to deal with it for now,” said Byers. “Hopefully in a couple weeks we’ll get back to normal.”

It could take some time for that damage to be undone.

Gonzalez said because we are again dealing with swollen lakes, he believes it may be three weeks or so before some of those roads reopen.
 

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