Posted: Thu, 9 Sep 2010 08:48 AM - 15,005 Readers

By: Erin Cargile

Local pilot Darren Behm has the luxury and skills to see Central Texas flooding on a whole new level.
Wednesday afternoon, he took off from the runway at the Georgetown Airport in his single engine Cessna.

From 1,000 feet up, the San Gabriel River was much wider east of IH 35.

"See where the trees are pushed down over there. Wow," said Behm. "It's up to that guys backyard. You see that guy on a 4-wheeler assessing the damage."

The river covered land and trees that are usually exposed. All of the water was coming from Lake Georgetown where debris was floating near its expanded banks. Darren steered southwest toward the chain of Highland Lakes.

Starcke Dam in Burnet County was visible from miles away. The Lower Colorado River Authority had one of the floodgates open releasing water from Lake Marble Falls. It will eventually end up in Lake Travis.

The Pedernales River was raging where it crosses Highway 71 near between Lakeway and Spicewood. Boat houses were slanted, and barely hanging on in the roaring rapids. It was hard to believe the tributary was nearly bone dry last summer.

Even with the heavy runoff headed its way, Lake Travis did not look much different. Before the rain, it was at 666,000 acre-feet of water. The Supervisor of River Operations at LCRA, David Walker, predicted it would eventually reach 675,000 acre.

About 12 inches of rain fell in the Austin area near Mansfield Dam , causing fast action to maintain the levels in Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake.

"We had to open up five flood gates on Tom Miller Dam , which appears to be as much water as we ever recorded coming through that dam," said Walker.

The water will eventually reach the Colorado River.

"By the time it's all said and done, we will have gained about 165,00 acre-feet of water which is about as much as uses in a thirsty year."

Governor Rick Perry will take an aerial tour of areas impacted by Tropical Storm Hermine Thursday. He plans on meeting with local officials holding a press conference to discuss flooding and damage caused by the storm.

*  Story Contributed by: Erin Cargile