Corps outlines plan to remove illegal docks on Lake Lewisville; enforcement could include citations and impoundment

Kenneth Myers, a lake manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, told the Highland Village Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on July 21 that the Corps has identified more than 150 unpermitted or "illegal" boat docks and similar structures on Lake Lewisville and is starting an enforcement campaign aimed at voluntary compliance.

Myers said the Corps has begun broad outreach through homeowner associations and a public-affairs video and asked owners to remove illegal structures; the Corps asked for voluntary compliance by June 1 and has already seen some removals. "We kind of went around and did a created a bit of a database on all of the illegal boat docks that we have out there, and we've got over 150, and that's lake wide," Myers said. He said the Corps has not yet broken that total down to the number within Highland Village city limits.

Why it matters: Corps-managed shoreline and facilities are federal public property. Sites that are unpermitted can limit public access, change shoreline conditions and, Corps staff said, create safety and rental concerns when private docks are used to run rental boats or jet-skis. The Board heard the Corps intends to escalate enforcement for repeat or noncompliant owners, which could affect waterfront homeowners and local…