Current situation
Water from lakes Travis and Buchanan—part of the chain of Highland Lakes on the Colorado River northwest of Austin—is sourced for drinking water and daily use in most of Hays, Travis and Williamson counties.
As of July 15, both lakes combined are 54% full, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority, a public utility agency. Lake Buchanan is 71% full and Lake Travis is 41% full.
In 2023, the lakes collectively dipped to 44% capacity in August, the lowest in a decade after the region endured record-breaking high heat and little rainfall. The last time the lakes were full was July 2019, meaning the Austin region remains in a hydrologic drought due to the stress on the water supply.
The United States Drought Monitor reports as of July 15 that Hays, Travis and Williamson counties are no longer in a meteorological drought, which is defined by how much rain an area has received and how dry soil is. This is not reflective of the effect long-term drought has on water supply reservoirs.
“Thanks to rains in May, our water supplies are in better shape than they were a year ago, but lakes Buchanan and Travis are still not full,” said John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of water. “The lakes remain stressed from years of serious drought.”
Who it effects
After rainfall affected the lakes earlier this summer, the LCRA loosened watering restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1 on June 3, allowing for twice-a-week outdoor watering and a request of a 10% reduction in regular water use.
LCRA customers include cities and utility districts, which can mandate their own watering restrictions in compliance with Stage 1, meaning restrictions affecting residents vary by provider. For Austin Water customers, outdoor watering is restricted to once a week with a 15% reduction in water use.
Despite allowing watering up to twice a week under current conditions, the LCRA encourages only watering once a week. Additionally, water from the Highland Lakes has not been available for agriculture in Wharton, Colorado and Matagorda counties since the second growing season in 2022, according to LCRA officials.
Shannon Hamilton, executive director of the Central Texas Water Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for water preservation policies, said these regulations aren’t strict enough based on the state of the lakes.
“When you're watering for 12 hours, that’s your drinking water going on your lawn,” Hamilton said. “One of the things that we [at CTWC] believe needs to change in the water management plan is better, higher triggers [for drought response stages].”
The water management plan governs LCRA officials' operation of the Highland Lakes to supply water to users and includes specific triggers for water restriction stages in a drought. For Stage 1, this is triggered when the total combined levels of lakes Buchanan and Travis drop below 1.1 million acre-feet.
“Right now we are in a reactive mode, and that's dangerous,” Hamilton said. “We need to do better with protecting our water when we do have it, and everybody needs to learn that conservation needs to be a way of life.”
What residents should know
As the Central Texas population grows, more and more people will need access to water in the region. Lakes Travis and Buchanan serve about 2 million residents.
“We have to have a water supply to match the growth, and today we don't have that,” Hamilton said.
Texas Water Utilities hydrogeologist Carly Peach said as the entire state’s population booms, more people will be “vying for the same amount of water.”
Peach said solutions to address a growing population and more severe droughts that experts are utilizing include:
- Monitoring water use
- Watering restrictions
- Rehabilitating groundwater wells
- Water reuse
- Brackish water development
The average resident can conserve water in different ways, including:
- Watering lawns in the early morning to avoid evaporation
- Monitoring for leaks in irrigation systems
- Xeriscaping with native plants, meaning planting slow-growing, drought-tolerant plants to conserve water and reduce yard trimmings
- Running a dishwasher or washing machine only when full
- Using a car wash rather than using a garden hose in a private driveway
- Turning off the sink while brushing teeth
