Water Use Summary

LCRA compiles water use information for the lower Colorado River basin in the annual Water Use Summary.

Drought conditions continued across the lower Colorado River basin for most of 2024, the hottest year on record for Texas. Rainfall was 6.5 to 7 inches below normal across the Hill Country and Central Texas, and slightly above normal across the coastal plains.

Inflows into lakes Buchanan and Travis were the highest since 2019, but still only half of the historical average. The basin saw two significant periods of rain in 2024. In May, storms in the upper basin caused inflows to be above the monthly average, and the combined storage of lakes Buchanan and Travis increased by about 275,000 acre-feet, or 14%. Inflows were also slightly higher than average in July. Inflows for all other months were well below average.

Total water use from the Highland Lakes and Colorado River decreased by 4% from 2023 to 2024. Overall water use from the Highland Lakes decreased by 25%, largely because more run-of-river water was available to meet demands downstream of Lake Travis. Diversions of streamflow from the Colorado River increased by 19% from 2023 to 2024. Because of the drought, no water from the Highland Lakes was available to most interruptible agricultural customers in Colorado, Matagorda and Wharton counties in 2024.

Highland Lakes water use – Contracts for water stored in lakes Buchanan and Travis can be for firm or interruptible supply. LCRA also supplies water from the Highland Lakes to help maintain environmental flows, as required by the state-approved Water Management Plan. In 2024, the Highland Lakes supplied 191,063 acre-feet of water for all uses.

Firm water contracts – These contracts supply cities, businesses and industries that need a reliable long-term water supply. Firm supply is available through a repeat of the driest conditions the region has experienced. Firm customers used 144,238 acre-feet, or about 76% of all water used from the Highland Lakes, in 2024. This includes 7 acre-feet used in hydroelectric generation to meet emergency needs for electricity.

Interruptible water contracts – These contracts supply agricultural customers. Interruptible water is subject to cutbacks during drought conditions, and its availability was curtailed in 2024 because of the drought. Interruptible customers used 529 acre-feet, less than 1% of all water used from the Highland Lakes, in 2024.

Environmental – From time to time, LCRA releases water from the Highland Lakes to meet environmental flow requirements for the Colorado River downstream of Austin and for Matagorda Bay. In 2024, LCRA released 46,296 acre-feet, or about 24% of all water used from the Highland Lakes, for environmental flows.