Tom Miller Dam floodgate replacement project moves forward

Eighty years ago, the Tom Miller Dam curtailed the waters of the Colorado River for the first time. Now, after eight decades, all nine of its floodgates need replacement. At the last meeting of the Lower Colorado River Authority’s board of directors, General Manager Phil Wilson requested that a $9.9 million lifetime budget be approved for this two-year project. Although expansive in scope, he explained that the repairs were critical for operational safety. To underscore the necessity of the situation, he offered to take the entire board on a field trip to the site in order to show them the condition of the dam. Wilson also noted that because the dam was located right across from the LCRA offices on Lake Austin Boulevard, the floodgate replacement project would need to make sure to dot its “i’s” and cross its “t’s.” “This is high profile. It’s across the street. Everyone is going to see it,” he said. The LCRA board unanimously approved a motion to “authorize our big spender over there to build some dams,” as Chair Timothy Timmerman said.