Posted: Thu, 3 Nov 2011 08:01 PM - 8,480 Readers
By: Andrew Chung
From the balcony of The Oasis restaurant, the view of Lake Travis is breathtaking, but a closer look at the lake reveals just how low the water level has dropped. Birds are now calling the exposed peninsula home.
That wasn't the case a year and a half ago. In aerial video from April 2010, Lake Travis was nearly filled to capacity; the shoreline was nearly invisible.
The continued drop in water level is disheartening to Cory Euhus, who works near the lake.
"I've never seen the levels this low in 12 years," he said. "It's kind of unbearable almost; it's really taken away our lake life. We like to go out there, and you know, barbecue and it's not the same - the ambiance, the water - it's pretty much gone."
The lake's condition is shocking for Emily Ivins, who also works nearby.
"Oh, I mean, it's bad," she said. "I've been here 12 years, and you know, never been able to see the sand mounds in the middle of the lake before."
Rain in early 2010 helped replenish the lake, but the drought returned later that year, and continues to this day.
Aerial video recorded Oct. 24 by the Lower Colorado River Authority reveals a lake that's shrinking every day. More of the lake bed is exposed, while more of the shoreline is expanding.
It's certainly a concern for Jacob Hart, a restaurant manager at The Oasis.
"It's very frustrating because there's nothing we can do to control it," he said. "It's completely out of our hands. A lot of the customers joke about it when they come in. Our guests will say, 'Oh, two with a view of the puddle,' stuff like that. And it really kind of impacts how many times a year they come out."
Many come to The Oasis not just for the food but also for the great lake views. However, the ongoing drought has put a damper on those views. In any case, employees at The Oasis want to stress they are still very much open for business.
The drought hasn't spared the Pedernales River either. In video recorded by the LCRA on Oct. 24, you can barely tell there's a river down there. In some sections, it's bone dry, while in other areas, there's some water still standing.
A dry riverbed means no business for Brian Adams, who repairs and maintains boat docks.
"Not this bad. Never this bad.," he said. "We went two months without work before, but never six. We're gonna be gone six months."
Adams isn't optimistic.
"We're gonna have to look for jobs elsewhere, move on somewhere else," he said.
With the weather phenomenon known as La Nina forecast to continue through the rest of fall and winter, Central Texans should expect drier-than-normal conditions to stick around during that time, and that will only make things worse for local lakes and rivers, including Lake Travis.
