Posted: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:06 AM - 10,101 Readers

By: Austin Business Journal

With the amount of water flowing into the Highland Lakes at less than 23 percent of average, the sources of drinking water may be headed for a new record low, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority.

As record high temperatures and dry conditions continue in Central Texas, the LCRA is encouraging area residents to follow water-use restrictions.

In an average year, about 1.2 million acre-feet of water flows in the Highland Lakes from the Colorado River, as well as streams and tributaries in the region. But so far this year, less than 170,000 acre-feet of water has gone into the lakes, and ongoing dry weather patterns have caused many creeks and streams that feed the lakes to dry up.

An acre-foot of water is 325,851 gallons, or about enough water to cover a football field in one foot of water.

Record-high temperatures also cause evaporation - LCRA officials said that Lake Travis drops about two-tenths of a foot each week due to evaporation. Last year, about 220,000 acre-feet of water was lost to evaporation, which is about 30 percent more water than the city of Austin used in 2008 to meet its municipal needs.

But, LCRA officials also emphasized that lakes Travis and Buchanan are designed to store enough water during rainy times to get the region through droughts.

“The lakes are serving their purpose. We expect to see lower lake levels during drought years. Lower lake levels do not mean we are running out of water,” said Mark Jordan, LCRA manager of River Management.