Photo Courtesy Lower Colorado River AuthorityThe map shows how rain must fall in the Highland Lakes Watershed in order to help improve lake levels. The vast majority of the heavy rainfall Oct. 12 and 13 hit the city of Austin, which is located just outside in the Downstream Watershed.
The Highland Lakes are benefiting from overnight and early morning rainfall Oct. 16 as much, if not more, than this past weekend's heavy storms, the Lower Colorado River Authority board learned.
Bob Rose, LCRA meteorologist, presented the board Oct. 16 with recent weather data, explaining that much of the rainfall to drop Oct. 12 and 13 pinpointed the city of Austin.
"Unfortunately most of that rain was downstream of the Highland Lakes," Rose said. "I feel I have to almost apologize that bull's-eye wasn't 20 miles northwest."
The weekend storms, combined with the 2 to 3 inches of precipitation to fall Oct. 16, has helped increased Highland Lakes' combined storage 24,000 acre-feet, LCRA Water Operations Manager Ryan Rowney said. Lakes Travis and Buchanan stood at approximately 682,000 acre-feet combined storage—approximately 34 percent full—as of the morning meeting. He cautiously suggested levels could reach 690,000 acre-feet by the end of the week as more water flows into the lakes.
