Lake Austin will be temporarily lowered by about 10 feet this fall at the request of the City of Austin, with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) drawing down the lake between Mansfield Dam and Tom Miller Dam from October 12 through November 30. The action aims to control the spread of invasive hydrilla—an aggressive aquatic weed that forms dense mats clogging waterways and disrupting recreation—while giving shoreline property owners and city departments better access to repair docks, bulkheads, boat slips, remove debris, and manage vegetation. The lake, currently at 492.08 feet above mean sea level, will drop no more than about one foot per day toward a target range of 481.8 to 482.8 feet; it will then be refilled from November 24–30, rising about two feet per day. Public boat ramps will close and swimming will be prohibited at Emma Long Metropolitan Park during the drawdown.