Adam Weedman, an owner and partner at Volente Beach Resort, said the water park portion of the business is submerged but the attached restaurant, Beachside Billy’s, remains open. He added because of the Thursday closure of Bullick Hollow Road at FM 2769, most customers have been local and not from out of town.
“It’s mostly just people from Volente that are coming out there now and eating,” he said.
He said the pool, slides and lower bar at the water park are covered in water. By Tuesday night, Oct. 17, the beach was entirely covered in water, he said.
“We’re pretty lucky it stopped when it did,” Weedman said, adding that an additional two-feet rise in the water level would have covered the volleyball court outside the restaurant.
Staying safe
The Lower Colorado River Authority reported Lake Travis was 144% full this morning. Days of rain resulted in Travis County being declared a local disaster last week.
Travis County spokesperson Hector Nieto said the county’s transportation and natural resources department has had crews in the field since last week to keep an eye on the water. He advised Volente residents to keep a close eye on the weather, news reports and social media.
“Our priority is safety,” he said. “We want to make sure our residents are safe and taking notice ahead of time if asked to evacuate.”
Volente Mayor Ken Beck said three homes in the village were impacted by water, although not seriously. He said friends and neighbors helped the residents move to safety.
Utilities
Beck said village residents use septic systems and water from wells or the lake, so the Austin Water boil water notice does not apply to people in Volente.
“As everyone has their own water system, they are responsible for their own hygiene,” Beck said.
Trash and recycling pickup in Volente has been effected by the weather. According to the village’s website, all recycling pickup has been canceled for this week. Texas Disposal Systems plans to resume recycling collection the week of Oct. 29, according to the website.
Last week, trash and recycling collection in Volente was delayed due to low water crossings and flooding, according to the website.
Damages
For now, Weedman says he must wait to assess damage at the business.
“There’s decks and stuff like that that were just redone last year that look like they’re floating or broken,” he said. “You can’t really tell because part of it is underwater and part of it is above water.”
He said there will likely be electrical damage in the lower bar and possibly in the slide pumps at the water park.
“We’re a lot better off than most,” Weedman said. “There’s houses out there completely underwater. Shack 512 [in Volente], that other restaurant, is completely underwater.”
Nieto said Travis County will be able to help with recovery in Volente after the “threat is gone.”
“Once the waters recede and once the flood has left, we’ll have a better idea of the damage,” he said.
A representative from Shack 512 declined to comment.
