Posted: Fri, 12 Jun 2015 01:16 PM - 37,204 Readers

By: Rachel Rice

The lake might be closer to full than it has been in years, but the drought that has throttled Central Texas since 2011 isn’t over.

That’s according to officials from the Lower Colorado River Authority and corroborated by the Central Texas Water Coalition. LCRA Executive Vice President of Water John Hofmann said the LCRA will continue to keep a close eye on water levels through the summer.

“I am very pleased with the kind of storage gains achieved in May, (and) when you try to get your head around an additional 648,000 acre feet of water since the first of the year … that’s great news,” Hofmann said. “At the same time, we look at the data, and we’re aware of the fact that overall we’re 67 percent full – 1.3 million (total) acre feet is great and is really a game-changer for us, in particular if we can maintain that through the summer, but we’re very hesitant to say the drought is over and that the extra dry conditions have just gone away.”


Evaporation increases as the temperatures heat up, Hofmann said, and due to the terrain in Lake Travis, the lake spreads out wider as it fills up. With the lake 40 feet higher than it was a month ago, evaporation will increase due to increased lake surface area. But if the summer brings rain, Hofmann said, “we’ll be having a different conversation.”

“Summertime has always been a period of low rainfall and high heat, and there’s always that anomaly flooding event that’s a freakish deal, and we have to be mindful of that,” Hofmann said. “If the El Niño event we had that helped cause that change in the weather patterns is strong, it’s supposed to be hanging around through the fall.”

The summer will be a big determining factor as to whether or not the LCRA releases water down river to the rice farmers, Hofmann said. Additionally, the LCRA hasn’t received the go-ahead from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on their most recently submitted Water Management Plan.

“In terms of interruptible water, it’s going to be next year before that’s a consideration for us,” Hofmann said. “We’ll see what the storage is and what the inflows are at the first of the year.”

CTWC President Jo Karr Tedder said in a statement that while she is thankful the lake level has risen, the “problem isn’t solved.”

“(We) have to take action to protect the lakes as the primary source of drinking water for one of the fastest growing regions in the country,” she said in an emailed statement. “Unless TCEQ (approves) the LCRA request for an Emergency Order to protect the lake from releases, we’re back to declining lake levels, business closings, jobs loss and the entire region suffers … unfortunately, as far as water supplies go, the drought isn’t over.”

*  Story Contributed by: Rachel Rice