Due to recent rainfall, Lake Travis has risen more than 7 feet in the past week, and is expected to continue filling up over the next few days.

As of July 26, the lake is 47% full, up from about 40% on July 19, according to data from the Lower Colorado River Authority.

The reason

John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of Water, said the storm runoff originated from heavy rains over the western portion of the Llano River watershed.

Early Wednesday, the LCRA opened floodgates along the Highland Lakes, allowing the runoff to flow downstream.


Water was released from Lake LBJ into Lake Marble Falls through Wirtz Dam, then through Lake Marble Falls into Lake Travis through the Starcke Dam.

All floodgates were closed Thursday morning, but the LCRA will continue moving inflows from the rain event downstream into Lake Travis through hydroelectric generation, LCRA spokesperson Clara Tuma said in a statement.

What residents should know

"Though flows from hydroelectric generation are less than flows from floodgates, the flows are still notable and will cause currents in the lakes," Tuma said. "People should keep safety as a priority and pay attention to any warnings or alerts from their local emergency management officials.”


Anyone recreating should avoid being in the water near the dams at all times, as unscheduled releases may occur suddenly and unexpectedly at any time due to emergency hydroelectric generation or other reasons, according to the LCRA website.

The impact

Hofmann noted the jump in lake levels will help with the regional water supply.

"This was not a drought breaker, but the rain event did bring significant and welcome inflows into the Highland Lakes," Tuma said. "It's been a while since we've seen this much water coming into the lakes."


The last time Lake Travis was 47% full was in 2022, according to LCRA data.

Learn more

Residents can find daily lake levels and updates about flood operations on the LCRA website.