Posted: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:34 AM - 8,716 Readers
By: Fred Afflerbach
Tristin Dry celebrated his fifth birthday doing flips off an 18-foot pontoon boat and eating cake at Lake Belton Friday afternoon.
photo by Jeremy HendersonTristin’s grandpa, Michael Delaney, said he’s watched the water level drop dramatically the last few weeks at his favorite fishing hole on Lake Georgetown, near his home. So when it came time for a birthday party on water, he called Aquaduc Boat Rentals on Lake Belton.
Austinites Susan and John Durrett spent last weekend camping and kayaking at Lake Belton because Lake Travis, near their home, is too low to enjoy.
Waterbugs like these - from the Hill Country to East Texas - are packing the sunscreen, towels and ice chests and heading to Lake Belton and Stillhouse Hollow Lake in large numbers these days searching for a precious commodity - water.
Just west of Austin, Lake Travis is at its third lowest level since the lake was built about 70 years ago. The Lower Colorado River Authority, which monitors both Lake Travis and Buchanan, reported last week these lakes combined are at 46 percent of their capacity. Only one out of a dozen public boat ramps on Lake Travis remains open. Wait time is about one hour.
Although Lake Travis has about one-third more surface water than Lake Belton, the level is dropping faster because its watershed has received scant rainfall and the LCRA serves thirsty customers such as Austin, its many suburbs, and downstream agricultural interests.
With water levels at some of Texas’ most popular lakes dropping like a bath tub in which someone pulled the stopper, Bell County marinas and boat dealers are seeing a lot of new faces this summer.
Will Chappell, managing owner at Aquaduc, said three parties that drove in from the Houston area last week told him all the lakes between here and there are either too low or too crowded for fun.
“I probably could’ve rented 10 more boats. That’s how crowded it’s been. I’ve been turning them away,” Chappell said, regarding last weekend. “I know we’re getting a lot of business out of Austin. And I guarantee you if we’re getting business, there’s bound to be people trailering their boats up here.”
High and low water levels at Bell County lakes is nothing new to Rick Smith. He’s made his living in the boat and marina business here since the 1960s. Today, Smith owns Marine Outlet in Temple. Austin-area lake refugees have lately kept his staff busier than normal.
“We’re seeing a lot more traffic, especially from the south, (Cedar Park, Austin Leander, Pflugerville) in terms of service work … boat accessories, and we’re seeing sales out of that market too,” Smith said. “We’ve got two beautiful lakes here and they’ve both been kind of our best kept little secrets for years. People are finding out about it. This area is very much a hub.”
No clear sailing
Although Bell County lakes aren’t dropping as fast as the Austin-area ones, Belton and Stillhouse Hollow serve similar interests, and it affects them as well.
In many coves, stumps and tree trunks poke their heads above the surface like twisted stick figures. Beaches have grown larger throughout the summer, jutting out into the lake body like peninsulas. And numerous boat docks sit beached on rocky shores. Workers at Frank’s Marina, where Aquaduc rents its boats, will soon have to tow their large docks and boats slips into deeper water.
“Relatively speaking, we’re in much, much better shape than most of the lakes are .... when you look at it in terms of what a lot of folks are dealing with,” Dan Thomasson, lakes manager, said. “This is not anywhere near our historic low. We were like, I think, 12 feet low in the late ’80s.”
Thomasson said only one out of a half-dozen boat ramps on Lake Belton sticks out of the water today, unusable. And that one is a minor ramp, upstream from the main body.
With no rain in the forecast, Bell County lake levels will likely continue to drop throughout August. But boat renters and dealers say this is still a good place for a birthday party.
