Mansfield Dam floodgates to close starting Thursday
Posted: Tue, 30 Oct 2018 10:46 AM - 71,085 Readers
By: Mark D Wilson
VIDEO
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.
Water levels at Lake Travis have been falling at a rate of roughly 2 feet per day since late last week, but the lake still remains more than full.
photo by Sergio Flores for American-Statesman
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.
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