Residents around Medina Lake are facing dramatic lifestyle changes as water levels continue to drop, affecting recreation, well water reliability and overall safety.
BANDERA COUNTY, Texas — For years, Medina Lake was the kind of place families across South Texas came to enjoy for a weekend on the water.
Now, people who live there say that experience looks very different.
Steven Bonahoom, proprietor of Bedrock Resort, says he and his wife have spent three decades watching the lake rise and fall. But in recent years, he says the pattern has changed.
“So my wife and I have been here for 30 years, and we’ve seen the lake come up and down, up and down. Unfortunately, we haven’t had much rain in the past 7 or 8 years.”
Even with some recent rain, Bonahoom says it would take much more to make a real difference.
“If we get a half inch of rain, it’s not going to affect the lake because we need at least 10 to 20in for the lake to start coming up again”
He says the lake’s condition is now affecting both safety and quality of life.
“the water is getting somewhat stagnant where I would not advise swimming in it”
That matters for a place that many longtime residents remember as a major recreation spot. Bonahoom says people once came to Medina Lake for boating, swimming and family time, but now the lake is much quieter.
He says the impact is not just emotional. It is also hitting people who live around the lake in expensive and practical ways.
“A lot of my neighbors have lost their wells… some properties haven’t had their wells for four years now… you have to drill a whole new well now, which is 50,000 plus.”
Bonahoom says some residents are now getting water from neighbors or paying to have it trucked in.
And for him, one of the hardest parts is what his family can no longer do there.
“that’s the saddest part for me is not being able to enjoy it with my family.”
Bonahoom also points to water management as part of the problem, arguing the lake should not be drained as low as it has been because of the ripple effects that has on surrounding homes, wells and recreation.
For the people who live there, Medina Lake is not just a scenic place people remember visiting. It is part of everyday life.
And right now, Bonahoom says, that life feels a lot quieter than it used to.
“Medina Lake always offered a vibrant, relaxing recreational experience where now it’s real quiet.”