LCRA to lower Inks Lake for eight weeks beginning Oct. 1
Drawdown will allow property owners to repair docks, remove debris
SEPT. 9, 2025
BURNET AND LLANO COUNTIES, Texas – The Lower Colorado River Authority will lower Inks Lake by about 8 feet this fall to provide property owners an opportunity to work on docks, boat slips and other shoreline structures like retaining walls, dredge up to 2,000 cubic yards of material and remove debris from the lake and shoreline.
LCRA will slowly lower the lake by about a foot a day beginning Wednesday, Oct. 1. The lake will be at its fully lowered level of 879-879.5 feet above mean sea level by Thursday, Oct. 9. The refill will begin Monday, Nov. 24, and will conclude by Friday, Nov. 28.
Inks Lake was last lowered in 2020.
LCRA currently does not plan to lower any of the other pass-through lakes (lakes Marble Falls, LBJ and Austin) this year. The next opportunity for a routine drawdown will be next fall, and LCRA will make a determination about which lakes, if any, will be lowered next year based on conditions at that time.
In the past, LCRA lowered lakes for shoreline maintenance and dock repair in January-February, but now performs drawdowns in the fall to ensure the hydroelectric generators at the dams can be fully operational in the winter, when electricity use can rise dramatically.
Floods or power emergencies could change or cancel the drawdown to pass water through the Highland Lakes. Property owners should not leave equipment unattended in the lakebed and should remove tools from the shoreline when not in use.
To lower Inks Lake, LCRA will release about 5,000 acre-feet of water through the hydroelectric generator at Inks Dam. The water will flow downstream through lakes LBJ and Marble Falls into Lake Travis, causing Lake Travis to rise about 3½ inches. (One acre-foot equals almost 326,000 gallons.)
Without additional rainfall, the water to refill Inks Lake will be released from Lake Buchanan and will cause Lake Buchanan to fall slightly less than 3 inches.
- For dock repairs: No permit or registration required but work must meet LCRA’s Safety Standards for Residential Docks on the Highland Lakes.
- For other work: Property owners must register projects at www.lcra.org/lakelowerings before beginning maintenance dredging (up to 2,000 cubic yards) and repairs on retaining walls, boat slips and boat ramps under LCRA’s Army Corps of Engineers Lakewide Permit. The permit notice provided on LCRA.org must be displayed in a visible location at the worksite.
- Deadline: All work should be completed by Nov. 28, when the refill concludes.
New construction must meet the requirements of the Highland Lakes Dredge and Fill Ordinance.
The registration form and Lakewide Permit Notice are available:
- Online at www.lcra.org/lakelowerings
- By calling LCRA Water Quality Protection at 512-578-2324
Burning debris in the lakebed is not allowed. For more information, visit www.lcra.org/lakelowerings.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.
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