The Colorado River and Highland Lakes

The Highland Lakes on the lower Colorado River are northwest of Austin in an arid part of Texas that is prone to both floods and serious droughts.

Lakes Buchanan and Travis, the two water supply reservoirs in the Highland Lakes, were designed to fluctuate, capturing water during rainy times and holding it for use when the weather turned drier. The lakes have provided a reliable water supply for Central Texas since Lake Travis was completed in the 1940s.

During droughts, levels in lakes Buchanan and Travis decrease as water stored in the lakes evaporates or is used by cities, industries, power plants and agriculture. This is exactly how the lakes were designed to operate.

Managing the lakes through drought

LCRA manages lakes Travis and Buchanan under a state-approved Water Management Plan to supply water to users throughout the lower Colorado River basin. As droughts worsen and the combined storage of lakes Buchanan and Travis falls, LCRA curtails the amount of interruptible stored water available for agricultural customers. Under LCRA’s Drought Contingency Plan for Firm Water Customers, LCRA will request firm customers such as municipalities and industries implement water conservation procedures to reduce water use.