Starcke Dam floodgate opens overnight, closes by morning
Posted: Wed, 27 May 2026 05:37 PM - 1,037 Readers
By: Tara Brolley - CBS Austin
Officials with the Lower Colorado River Authority opened a floodgate at Max Starcke Dam overnight, releasing water downstream into Lake Travis. The gate was opened around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and remained open until it was closed by 8 p.m. Wednesday. The controlled release was part of managing storm runoff from the Highland Lakes system.
As of Wednesday morning, the LCRA reported no additional gate operations were expected at any of the seven Highland Lakes dams. The agency continues to release storm runoff through hydroelectric generation at one or more lakes. Lake Travis was at 668.67 feet and Lake Buchanan stood at 1,019.78 feet as of late Wednesday morning.
