Posted: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:38 AM - 11,952 Readers

By: Brian Gaar

Photo By Laura Skelding
Charles Kerley, foreground, and Kevin Cobbs, background, work on the stairs leading to a dock on Lake Travis in Briarcliff, across the lake from Lago Vista, on Thursday. Kerley and Cobbs, who work for Spillar Boat Docks in Spicewood, are stabilizing existing stairs and adding more stairs to make the dock accessible as the water recedes.

Kyle Spillar remembers water-skiing on Lake Travis in the early 1960s, when the lake hit one of its lowest levels on record.

At one point, he fell into the water. The lake was so shallow that he could stand.

"My brothers said I was walking on water, trying to get back into the boat," said the 54-year-old Spillar, who grew up working for his father's dock-building business and later bought Spillar Boat Docks in Spicewood.

If the current drought continues, the lake might soon drop past its third-lowest level ever. But there has been somewhat of a silver lining for Spillar and other dock builders, who have been doing a brisk business trying to keep their customers' boat docks from becoming grounded as the lake recedes.

Although all docks on Lake Travis float, if the water level drops too much, walkways from the homes on bluffs above the lake must be extended and anchors need to be adjusted for the docks to remain accessible.

Spillar makes a daily note of the lake's level on a calendar in his office. On Tuesday, Lake Travis was at 637.4 feet, more than 31 feet lower than the monthly average.

Spillar estimates that about 20 percent of the docks he's built on Lake Travis are grounded. And he's been hearing from people whose docks are in danger of joining them.

"All my old customers are calling; there's just no way I can get them all done at the same time," said Spillar, who estimated two years ago that his company had built 2,200 docks on Lake Travis.

Spillar and Jim Chapman, owner of Chapman Marine Inc., both say it's normal that docks become grounded this time of year.

Still, "we've really turned down quite a bit of work," said Chapman, who answered three phone calls in about 10 minutes during an interview with the American-Statesman.

That extra work has been welcome for Spillar because new boat docks aren't selling well in the depressed economy.

He's had a few employees quit, but because of the increased maintenance business, Spillar hasn't had to lay anyone off from his current staff of 22.

Of the 12 public boat ramps around the lake, only one, at Mansfield Dam park, remains open, Lower Colorado River Authority spokeswoman Emlea Chanslor said — and that one could become unusable in the coming weeks.

For Donna Garrison, a real estate agent who lives on the lake and rents vacation homes, business has dropped off considerably in the last few weeks.

"The whole reason that people come here from Houston is to bring their boat," she said. "We're all chasing the water down to hell. How low can we go here?"

The lake levels, coupled with the recession, have been a "double whammy for every business on this lake," she said.

Spillar says he's had to prioritize his customers: Those whose docks are in the most danger of getting grounded get attention first. All other requests will have to wait.

"Right now, if somebody calls and says they need a boat lift — it could be two months," Spillar said.