The closure of the popular tubing spot forced many families to change their Father’s Day weekend plans on Thursday.
SAN ANTONIO — Days before Father’s Day weekend, the Comal River is closed to all recreational access after heavy overnight rains turned the typically calm waterway into a swift-moving, debris-filled hazard.
New Braunfels city officials say the river surged to 1,800 cubic feet per second Thursday morning – six times its normal flow rate of about 300 CFS – prompting an automatic shutdown. Video shared by the city’s police department showed how ferociously the water was rushing at the Comal River in New Braunfels.
“Once the water goes over the dam at the Tube Chute, that’s usually an automatic closure,” said Jenna Vinson, director of communications and community engagement for the City of New Braunfels.
Businesses along the river, including Texas Tubes, were also forced to close. Staff rushed to clear equipment from the first floor as water levels rapidly rose.
“We wanted to take them tubing today, but you kind of can’t tube when the river looks like this,” said New Braunfels resident Kallie Kerne, who had to cancel her river plans with out-of-town visitors.
Despite the disruptions, many are welcoming the rainfall in the midst of a five-year drought.
“We had like 4 inches of rain,” said Lake Dunlap resident Dennis Jasik, who stopped to capture video of boats, jet skis and even large trees floating downriver. “All the lakes that need this water downriver – McQueeney, Placid – they all need water. So it’s a good thing.”
Crowds gathered on the San Antonio Street Bridge throughout the day, snapping photos and shooting video of the surging waters below.
New Braunfels first responders were busy Thursday, conducting eight water rescues and responding to a house fire caused by lightning. No injuries were reported. Six roads remain closed due to flooding at low-water crossings.
While the Comal remains off-limits, the Guadalupe River is still open. But anyone entering the water within city limits is required to wear a life jacket.
According to Vinson, the river’s flow rate had dropped to about half of its peak by Thursday evening.
“We’re hopeful we can reopen it pretty quickly,” she said.
The police chief is set to reassess river conditions at 8:30 a.m. Friday. Updates will be posted on newbraunfels.gov and the city’s social media pages.
The Spring Fed Pool at the Landa Park Aquatic Complex is also closed the rest of Thursday. But the rest of the complex, including the Olympic Pool, will remain open.
Several roads are also closed in New Braunfels. For updates on road closures, see the full closure map here.