FLOWER MOUND, Texas — As Grapevine Lake's rising water claims more land, officials have indefinitely closed two parks inside Flower Mound city limits.
The city announced it's closed Twin Coves Park to all visitors. Nearby, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has cut off access to Murrell Park.
The moves come as a blow to parkgoers and nearby businesses, which have yet to enjoy early summer's typical boating and recreation activity.
"It's a big challenge," Flower Mound Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Travis Cunniff said. "We want to have people there."
Three low-water crossings on the park's main road are flooded, meaning city workers can only reach the grounds via jon boat. They've not been able to clear fallen trees and debris left by storms in late May.
"The main challenge right now is access," he said. "If you needed to get a heavy piece of equipment in, even if it's just a generator, and a couple of parks guys - it'd take a few trips."
Cunniff said his department has so far canceled roughly 150 RV park and campground reservations. Crews also wheeled four cabins to higher ground using heavy machinery they floated to the park on a barge.
"Everything will have to be reset and put back in place before we could have people in there," Cunniff said. "The RV sites are under probably 10 feet of water right now. It's going to have to go down a lot before we can actually get in there and do that."
Even after the lake retreats, such a cleanup and "reset" would take weeks, Cunniff said.
It's not yet clear when the park will open again.
"It's all going to be contingent on the weather," Cunniff concluded.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it's not yet time to open floodgates that would drain some of Grapevine Lake's water into the Trinity River. Doing so would worsen flooding conditions downstream, a spokesperson said, and there is still capacity in the lake's flood pool.
Cunniff and nearby business owners say they'll hope for drier weather. The Twin Coves Marina has closed its restaurant, and its staff must taxi members to their slips on boats.
Flower Mound Police said they are monitoring entrances to Twin Coves Park and Murrell Park to ensure would-be visitors heed 'closed' signs.
"Please do not park on the side of Simmons Road and Wichita Trail and make entry to the park," FMPD said in a Facebook post. "Parking in this manner is hazardous and we have already been called to one accident in the area."
Cunniff noted that barricades are in place to keep people away from dangling limbs, murky floodwater and already-stressed animals that now have less space to roam.
"We'll take it as it goes, but we're watching it every day and looking up at the sky to see if it's going to rain," Cunniff said.