Lake Travis near full but drought still an issue, Lakeway council told


Posted: Thu, 9 Oct 2025 10:05 AM - 29 Readers

By: Austin-American Statesman


Despite significant gains from catastrophic July floods that added roughly 700,000 acre-feet of water to Lakes Travis and Buchanan—equivalent to nearly a year's supply—Central Texas remains in a prolonged drought since 2019, Shannon Hamilton, executive director of the Central Texas Water Coalition, informed the Lakeway City Council. Although the lakes are now nearly at full capacity according to the Lower Colorado River Authority, levels began declining by August, with Lake Travis dropping 5% since July. Hamilton emphasized adapting to a "new normal," noting increasing intervals between major rain events—from every three to four years historically to now five to seven years—making the region's reliance on floods less sustainable.

Hamilton highlighted several concerns driving water loss, including rapid development with new homes and water-intensive data centers, as well as private residential ponds that divert runoff from reaching the lakes. She warned that without reducing water pumping and allocations, the area risks quicker depletion during dry periods. The coalition is exploring earlier conservation measures, such as raising the threshold for Stage 4 drought restrictions from 600,000 to 675,000 acre-feet of combined storage, which would require businesses to cut usage by 20% sooner to build a buffer against extended droughts.



Read Full Story at: Austin-American Statesman

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