Lake Whitney Cliff Cracks Worry Local Homeowners, Boaters

Cracks on a cliff overlooking a popular Central Texas lake are prompting safety concerns.

One homeowner has noticed a fissure widening in his backyard, located in the same gated community where a collapse last year left a neighbor's home dangling high above Lake Whitney.

Local and federal authorities acknowledge the situation is dangerous for boaters who for generations have been drawn to the lake. Authorities have taken steps to inform people of the danger, including installing buoys.

Hill County emergency management coordinator Tom Hemrick says authorities are monitoring the property but there's little they can do since it's privately owned.

Accounts of large rock chunks falling into the lake are not new. Hemrick says a fisherman several years ago was killed when an outcropping fell on him.