Boaters planning to launch from a public ramp at Lake Travis or Lake Buchanan will have only one boat ramp available at each lake until rains bring the lake levels back up.
Lake Travis update:
Currently, Mansfield Dam Recreation Area, located off Ranch Road 620 about five miles south of FM 2222, has the only public boat ramp available for boaters to use on Lake Travis over the Fourth of July weekend. It is usable until the lake level drops below 640 feet above mean sea level.
Since the beginning of the water recreation season, 11 of the 12 Lake Travis public boat ramps have become unusable as the lake level has fallen below the concrete ramps. Many boaters still have access to the lake through private marinas and docks.
Travis County Parks, which operates the LCRA-owned parks around Lake Travis, wants boaters who are planning to visit Lake Travis over the holiday weekend to be aware of the conditions and plan accordingly. Additionally, two of the four lanes used to simultaneously launch multiple boats at Mansfield Dam are unusable, reducing the ramp's launch capacity by half.
Boaters planning to use the only open public boat ramp on the lake need to have patience for long lines and to anticipate that the park will be closed to vehicles when parking spaces are filled there and at the nearby Mansfield Dam Overlook Park, which is used for overflow trailer parking. Staff regularly closes the park on holiday weekends as early as noon when the parking areas are full. Drivers on RR 620 need to be aware of potential traffic issues as the park fills up and the line of vehicles backs up onto RR 620.
Without significant rainfall to replenish water released for downstream uses and lost to evaporation, Lake Travis will continue to drop more than two feet a week. The average elevation for Lake Travis in July is 669.28 feet above mean sea level. On July 1 at noon, its elevation was 643.26 feet.
”Our region remains in the grips of a two-year drought, with some of the lowest rainfall totals since the drought of the ’50s,” said LCRA meteorologist Bob Rose. “Rainfall looks to stay below normal through July, with drought conditions growing worse."
Lake Travis has been lower during past droughts.
- Oct. 15, 2000: 640.24
- Oct. 7, 1985: 636.58
- November 1963: 615.02
- Aug. 14, 1951 (the lake's all-time low elevation): 614.18
For updated information on usable Highland Lakes public boat ramps and current lake levels, look online at www.lcra.org/parks/boat_ramp_info.html.
Boaters are reminded that while LCRA marks many of the known hazards on the Highland Lakes, it is impossible to mark all of them because the hazards change with the lake levels. Channel buoys typically mark the lake river channel and the deepest water. Also, with shallow areas increasing, life jackets are even more important because when boats run aground, their passengers may be thrown from the boat. For safe boating and swimming tips, go to www.nobodyswaterproof.com.
Lake Buchanan update:
Currently, White Bluff Park, located off FM 2341 about 12 miles north of State Highway 29, has the only public boat ramp available for boaters to use over the Fourth of July weekend.
Since the beginning of the water recreation season, three of the four Lake Buchanan boat ramps have become unusable as the lake level has fallen below the concrete ramps. Currently, White Bluff Park boat ramp, operated by Burnet County, is the only public boat ramp available for boaters to use over the holiday weekend. It is usable until the lake level drops below 998 feet above mean sea level. Many boaters still have access to the lake through private marinas and docks.
Without significant rainfall, Lake Buchanan is dropping more than half a foot a week as a result of irrigation releases, increased municipal water use and evaporation. The average elevation for Lake Buchanan in July is 1,013.86 feet above mean sea level. On July 1 at noon, its elevation was 1,000.61 feet.
"Weather conditions are expected to be hot and generally dry through the Fourth of July weekend,” said LCRA meteorologist Bob Rose. “A few scattered showers may develop next Sunday when a weak cold front moves into the area, but otherwise, the weather will be very summer-like. Because of the hot, sunny weather, folks planning on being outside should drink plenty of water, use sunscreen and try to limit their time in direct sunshine."
Lake Buchanan has been lower during past droughts:
- January 2007: 997.95
- Oct. 13, 2000: 994.73
- Oct. 7, 1984: 987.97
- September 1964: 986.63
- Sept. 9, 1952 (the lake's all-time low elevation): 983.70
For updated information on usable Highland Lakes public boat ramps and current lake levels, look online at www.lcra.org/parks/boat_ramp_info.html.
Boaters are reminded that while LCRA marks many of the known hazards on the Highland Lakes, it is impossible to mark all of them because the hazards change with the lake levels. Channel buoys typically mark the lake river channel and the deepest water. Also, with shallow areas increasing, life jackets are even more important because when boats run aground, their passengers may be thrown from the boat. For safe boating and swimming tips, go to www.nobodyswaterproof.com.
Highland Lakes recreation:
As a reminder, boating is not the only attraction along the Highland Lakes and lower Colorado River. Many lakeside businesses and parks offer opportunities for the holiday weekend. For more information, look online at lake-area chambers of commerce and LCRA’s park Web site.
www.laketravischamber.com
www.buchanan-inks.org
www.marblefalls.org
www.lcra.org/parks/index.html
Lake Austin personal watercraft ban:
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department Park Police will ban the use of personal watercraft on Lake Austin on Saturday, July 4, from sunrise to sunset. The City of Austin has jurisdiction over Lake Austin. For more information, call Austin Park Police Lake Patrol at (512) 329-8841.
LCRA does not ban the use of any type of watercraft on lakes over which it has jurisdiction – Lakes Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, Travis, Fayette, and Bastrop.
