The Highland Lakes' drought conditions continue to persist despite recent rains, and Lower Colorado River Authority staff is recommending downstream rice farmers be denied reservoir water for a historic third consecutive year.

Lakes Travis and Buchanan are at 36 percent of their combined capacity, or approximately 719,000 acre-feet of water, as of Nov. 1. Unless the lakes' combined storage increases above 1.1 million acre-feet by March 1, agricultural operations along the lower basin of the Colorado River will be cut off from any Highland Lakes water if LCRA board members approve the recommendation.

LCRA announced its recommendation for emergency drought response measures Nov. 1, acknowledging the significant difference in the 2014 drought trigger compared with past years—1.1 million acre-feet in 2014 compared to 850,000 acre-feet and 775,000 acre-feet in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Other proposed restrictions being requested by LCRA to the state include asking that firm water customers, mostly municipalities and industrial operations, be limited to watering outdoors a maximum of once per week. Many municipalities, including the city of Austin, already enforce such watering standards. If approved, the emergency measures would also ask the state to curtail requirements to send water down the Colorado River for environmental purposes.

The LCRA board will discuss the recommendations Nov. 19 during the Water Operations Committee meeting, and a special called board meeting will take place later that day. Public comments to the board may be submitted until noon Nov. 18 to comment@lcra.org.

The meetings begin at 10 a.m. at LCRA headquarters, 3700 Lake Austin Blvd.

Read the LCRA staff's full recommendation here.