The Colorado River and Highland Lakes

Data and resources

At 862 miles, the Colorado River is the longest river entirely within Texas. LCRA’s water service area includes roughly the lower 600 miles of the river from the Hill Country to the Texas Gulf Coast.

The Highland Lakes section of the river is in the Hill Country northwest of Austin. The lakes were created to help manage floods, to create hydroelectric generation and to capture water when it rains to ensure the region has a reliable water supply during dry times. LCRA manages the Highland Lakes and Colorado River as a system to supply water for more than a million people, as well as businesses, industries, the environment and agriculture in the lower Colorado River basin.