The city of Austin extended its ban on the use of waterways through July 8 at noon, according to a city news release issued July 7. The city is also urging residents to avoid the use of riverfront trails that may be unsafe to navigate due to flash flood risks.
Updated July 5, 5:30 p.m.
Residents are prohibited from using city of Austin waterways through July 7 at noon, according to a news release from the city issued July 5.
The ban includes personal and commercial watercrafts, wet bikes, paddle boards, canoes, kayaks and other similar devices.
Extending to creeks and streams, the waterways include:
- Barton Creek
- Bull Creek
- Lady Bird Lake
- Lake Austin from Mansfield Dam to Tom Miller Dam
- The Colorado River downstream of Longhorn Dam
Posted July 5, 3:43 p.m.
The Lower Colorado River Authority issued a statement July 5 encouraging residents to stay off Lake Travis, Lake Lyndon B. Johnson and Lake Marble Falls for a few days following flooding rains throughout the Central Texas area.
The details
Rainfall began July 4 and has since caused some areas of Lake Travis to increase more than 14 feet, data from the LCRA shows. The influx of rain has resulted in flooding, which increases the amount of flood debris, fast-moving water flows and bacteria, according to the news release.
“The lakes remain open, but as a precaution we are recommending everyone stay off lakes Travis, LBJ and Marble Falls until further notice,” said John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of water. “We want people to stay safe, and the wise decision under these conditions is to avoid being on these lakes at this time.”
Flood operations to address the recent rainfall are underway at multiple upstream dams on the Highland Lakes system, with the floodwater being moved down into Lake Travis, the news release states.
Stay tuned
LCRA will release additional information once the advisory is lifted, according to the news release.
“People need to use extreme caution under these conditions,” Hofmann said. “... Unless it’s an emergency, we are encouraging people to stay away from these three lakes for the immediate future.”
This is an developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
