Rains put a damper on boat-rental businesses during Volente’s busiest weekend of the year—Memorial Day.
But few business owners are complaining after Lake Travis swelled from a low of 625 feet to 670 feet above sea level, restoring access to many docks and boat ramps and bringing tourists back to the lake town.
Customers once called to ask about whether the lake was suitable for swimming, said Rett Scudder, owner of Beach Front Boat Rentals at Highland Lakes Marina. Now callers are renting boats weeks in advance and gave Volente its biggest Independence Day weekend in five years, he said.
“People want to come back out [after] they haven’t been here for three or four years,” Scudder said. “Having the lake full at the beginning of summer is like waking up on Christmas morning with snow on the ground.”
Nan Martin, Highland Lakes Marina office manager, said she estimates business is 65 percent busier this summer than in 2014.
Rains on Memorial Day, May 25, contributed to a 30-foot jump in the lake level from May to June, Volente City Secretary Julia Vicars said.
Representatives from The Lower Colorado River Authority, which manages and measures area lake levels, said June 5 that the drought that began in 2010 has been assuaged by the rains but is not over. Scudder said the drought forced businesses to move their docks and ramps to access the lake.
“I built steps and everything to get down to the water,” he said.
In 2013 the village closed a portion of Wharf Cove, a road that allows public lake access, because the lower shoreline created a dangerous drop-off from the road, Vicars said. Boaters could access the lake using private ramps such as those at Highland Lakes. But Highland Lakes Manager Mike Carter said negative media coverage discouraged people from visiting the lake.
“Lake Travis still had plenty of water in it,” Carter said. “It’s just that every shot the media showed on TV was sometimes [newly bare] islands.”
Many Volente residents, such as Larry Sanders, were cut off from their own water intake lines or docks. The floods brought minor challenges such as damage and litter, but many residents regained access to the amenities they expect, Sanders said.
May rains flooded some Volente marinas, but have also brought a surge of tourism to the lake town and attractions such as Volente Beach Water Park.[/caption]
“Everything’s floating and pumps are working, and it’s good times back at the lake,” Sanders said.
The tourism increase leaves the village with some issues, such as the newly reopened Wharf Cove public lake access point that some boaters have begun treating more like a private boat ramp, Vicars said.
Volente Boat Club Owner Tom Gardiner said the lake may keep filling.
“We’re still not out of the drought,” Gardiner said. “The combined storage of the lakes is still very low. … But it’s been a wet year, and hopefully we’ll continue to get some more rain.”
Nan Martin, Highland Lakes Marina office manager, said she estimates business is 65 percent busier this summer than in 2014.
Rains on Memorial Day, May 25, contributed to a 30-foot jump in the lake level from May to June, Volente City Secretary Julia Vicars said.
Representatives from The Lower Colorado River Authority, which manages and measures area lake levels, said June 5 that the drought that began in 2010 has been assuaged by the rains but is not over. Scudder said the drought forced businesses to move their docks and ramps to access the lake.
“I built steps and everything to get down to the water,” he said.
In 2013 the village closed a portion of Wharf Cove, a road that allows public lake access, because the lower shoreline created a dangerous drop-off from the road, Vicars said. Boaters could access the lake using private ramps such as those at Highland Lakes. But Highland Lakes Manager Mike Carter said negative media coverage discouraged people from visiting the lake.
“Lake Travis still had plenty of water in it,” Carter said. “It’s just that every shot the media showed on TV was sometimes [newly bare] islands.”
Many Volente residents, such as Larry Sanders, were cut off from their own water intake lines or docks. The floods brought minor challenges such as damage and litter, but many residents regained access to the amenities they expect, Sanders said.
May rains flooded some Volente marinas, but have also brought a surge of tourism to the lake town and attractions such as Volente Beach Water Park.[/caption]
“Everything’s floating and pumps are working, and it’s good times back at the lake,” Sanders said.
The tourism increase leaves the village with some issues, such as the newly reopened Wharf Cove public lake access point that some boaters have begun treating more like a private boat ramp, Vicars said.
Volente Boat Club Owner Tom Gardiner said the lake may keep filling.
“We’re still not out of the drought,” Gardiner said. “The combined storage of the lakes is still very low. … But it’s been a wet year, and hopefully we’ll continue to get some more rain.”
