Canyon Lake is a reservoir on the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. Canyon Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir formed on the Guadalupe River in Comal County by Canyon Dam, which is located about sixteen miles northwest of New Braunfels. The dam, lake, and all adjacent property are managed by the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers. Water rights, waste water treatment, and hydroelectric generating facilities are managed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. Construction of the dam began in 1958 and was completed in 1964. The reservoir serves to provide flood control and water supply for the communities downstream from the dam. The lake is also a popular recreational destination. Geography Canyon Lake is located at . Please note, this GPS coordinate does not correspond to a public access location (please see the section below on Public Access in the Recreation section). It is located in northern Comal County, Texas, on the northeastern fringe of the San Antonio-New Braunfels MSA. It is about 35 mi (56 km) northeast of Downtown San Antonio and 40 mi (64 km) southwest of Austin. Towns in the immediate vicinity of the lake include Canyon City, Cranes Mill, Hancock, Fischer, Sattler, and Startzville, all part of the census-designated place known as Canyon Lake, Texas. Larger towns nearby include New Braunfels and San Marcos. History Construction of Canyon Dam began in 1958 to provide both flood control and water conservation. Impoundment of the lake began in 1964, and the lake was filled to its conservation level in 1968. Flood protection Flood protection is provided for nearly 250 square miles (647 km2) of land downstream from Canyon Dam. The canyons of the upper Guadalupe River have a capacity to carry 40,000 - 50,000 cubic feet per second (1,100 - 1,400 m³/s) ; however, the channel on the lower Guadalupe River, downstream from the Balcones Escarpment, can carry only 13,000-30,000 cubic feet per second (400 – 800 m³/s). This has led to serious flooding in the lower Guadalupe River Basin, including a major flood in New Braunfels in 1972 which was caused by heavy rains just downstream from Canyon Dam. Canyon Dam protected downstream areas from major floods in 1978, 1987, 1991, 1992 and 1998. A record flood in July 2002 overtopped the spillway by more than seven feet (2 m) and caused significant damage below Canyon Dam. In the