Rain in July and September has pushed Lakes Buchanan and Travis to a combined 95% full, about 1.9 million acre-feet of water, the Lower Colorado River Authority said Thursday. That's good news for water supply, but LCRA says it is now in a heightened state of readiness for flooding.

Lake Buchanan is only about 1.5 feet from full, so LCRA may have to open floodgates at Buchanan Dam with little warning if heavy rain falls over the lake or its watershed. Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls and Austin are pass-through lakes with no storage room, so any floodwater that reaches them has to keep moving downstream.

Lake Travis, about 3.5 feet below full, is the only Highland Lake with a dedicated flood pool, so it would catch the extra water. LCRA forecasters also say El Niño could bring above-normal rain over the next few months, which means lake levels and conditions on the water could change fast. If you have a dock or boat on the lake, it's a good time to keep an eye on LCRA's flood page.

Source: LCRA