The Herald-Zeitung

Despite a historic drought, officials expect visitors to flock to Comal County this weekend.

Officials consider Memorial Day weekend to be the kickoff to a heavy tourism season for river-goers and are gearing up for a busy summer on both the Guadalupe and Comal rivers.

Judy Young, director of the New Braunfels Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, said New Braunfels should see a lot of visitors.

“Everything seems to be going great,” Young said. “We’re gearing up for a pretty big weekend.”

The 2,600 rooms, campsites and condos around New Braunfels were about two-thirds full as of Thursday evening, and Young said that number could jump up to about 87 percent by today.

Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce President Mandy Stewart said lake officials also were gearing up for a large turnout.

“We’re expecting it to be a very busy weekend,” Stewart said. “I know the campsites in the area are completely booked and full of campers.”

Despite the low lake levels of around 896 mean feet above sea level — more than 12 feet lower than the average 909 msl — Stewart said there will be plenty of boaters on Canyon Lake. She cautioned them to be wary of changes in the lake.

“There are new buoys and new no wake zones around the lake,” she said. “There are new areas to be aware of, so boaters — even the most experienced ones — need to use extra caution.”

Stewart warned boaters to stay at least 100 feet off the shoreline to be safe.

Because of the low levels, Comal County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Mark Reynolds said, deputies will be enforcing safe boating.

“We’re going to have the boats and the jet skis out,” Reynolds said. “We expect there might be a few problems at the boat ramps and with how much the lake has changed, but we’re still expecting a safe weekend.”

Reynolds said the sheriff’s office could have fewer deputies than in the past along the Guadalupe River, which according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Web site is only flowing at 43 cubic feet per second.

“We will have teams out there, but they’re not going to be of the same strength as in years past,” he said. “We’ve contacted quite a few of the river outfitters, and they have relayed that they might not be full this weekend on the Guadalupe.”

New Braunfels Police Department spokesman Lt. Michael Penshorn said officers would be watching the Comal River heavily. The river is currently flowing at 226 cfs, according to the Corps of Engineers.

“We’re going to have quite a few officers on the river,” Penshorn said. “We anticipate a very busy weekend.”

The inflow of out-of-towners also could bring traffic complications, Young said.

“People should practice defensive driving,” she said. “We are going to have guests in from out of town that might not know exactly where they’re going.”

River outfitters officials said they are inundated with tubers.

“It’s no different than any other year. We’ve had about 200 to 300 calls a day here,” Rockin’ R River Rides manager Shane Wolf said. “Right now it looks really good.”

Despite the low flow, Wolf said Rockin’ R still is putting tubers on the river.

“We’re just being honest with our customers,” he said. “It’s still a really good trip. ... Since we have so much property along the river banks, we can put people in at different places. We’re still offering the same length of trips on the Guadalupe.”

Gruene River Company general manager Edward Esquivel said his company still was unsure what to expect.

“It’ll still be busy, for sure, but we’re just not sure how packed the Guadalupe will be,” Esquivel said. “The Comal has picked up a lot of business in the past years, so we expect it to be busy.”

While some tourists are floating the rivers, Schlitterbahn spokesman Jeffrey Siebert said it would be a good opportunity for locals to head to the park, which will open full-time next weekend.

“Historically, Memorial Day weekend is not very busy for us,” Siebert said. “Traditionally, families are having cookouts and barbecues. It’s actually a great time for season pass holders to visit the park.”