Floods force Buchanan Dam to open flood gates for first time in years

Posted: Tue, 15 Jul 2025 02:01 AM - 33 Readers

John Nelms captured this aerial footage on Oct. 17, 2018. Buchanan Dam release into Inks Lake

One of the most important lakes in Central Texas is overflowing, forcing the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) to open its flood gates for the first time in six years.

On Monday, July 14, the LCRA announced that at least two flood gates at Buchanan Dam will open to prevent water from topping over the spillway. Buchanan Dam separates Lake Buchanan from Inks Lake.

According to the LCRA, water will flow into Inks Lake. Inks Dam does not have flood gates and water is expected to flow over its spillway into Lake LBJ.

The last time Buchanan Dam opened its flood gates was in 2019.

Water from Lake Buchanan flows downstream and eventually ends in Lake Travis. That lake has returned to its average level of 666 feet for the first time in four years. Lake Buchanan is 96% full.

No floodgates at Mansfield Dam, which separates Lake Travis and Lake Austin, are expected to open. Lake Travis can hold another 15 feet of water before it is considered full.

Flood of 1938 at Buchanan Dam (Courtesy: Lower Colorado River Authority)

According to KXAN’s Jim Spencer, the “Sometimes Islands”, small landmasses that appear when Lake Travis is low, could soon vanish beneath the waves. The islands submerge when the lake reaches 670 feet full.

This is the first time Lake Travis has been this full since July 4, 2020.

Currently, recreational watercraft are banned on Lake Travis as a result of recent floods. The LCRA is asking watercraft on the other Highland Lakes to navigate with extra caution due to possible debris in the water.

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* story provided by Eric Henrikson KXAN