Posted: Tue, 30 Oct 2018 10:46 AM - 71,162 Readers

By: Mark D Wilson

The Lower Colorado River Authority will begin closing floodgates at Mansfield Dam on Thursday, but Lake Travis and other Highland Lakes on the Colorado River will remain closed until at least Friday.

The LCRA said crews are preparing to close one floodgate every one to two days, beginning on Thursday, until all the gates are closed by Nov. 7.

Floodgates at Tom Miller Dam, which forms Lake Austin, will be closed during the same period, officials said.

Lakes Travis, Inks, LBJ and Marble Falls will remain closed for recreational use as the process begins, but could reopen on Friday. Lake Buchanan has already been reopened.

Last week, the elevation of the lake at Mansfield Dam was nearly 703 feet above mean sea level. By Tuesday, it had dropped to just over 691 feet, but still had 10 more feet to lose before being considered “full” at 681 feet.

A waterway ban for Lady Bird Lake also remains in effect until at least noon on Friday.