Drought remains as lakes are about half full
| How Severe is the Drought? |
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| Intensity: |
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D0 Abnormally Dry |
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D3 Drought - Extreme |
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D1 Drought - Moderate |
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D4 Drought - Exceptional |
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D2 Drought - Severe |
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| The U.S Drought Monitor each week classifies the intensity of dry conditions throughout the United States. |
Rain showers in the early part of 2012 helped make Central Texas green again, but the drought that depleted the Highland Lakes last year is far from over. With the weather heating up, LCRA encourages Central Texans to continue to use water as wisely as possible.
Last year was the worst single-year drought in the state’s history. The remarkably hot and dry weather in 2011 caused high water use and evaporation throughout Central Texas and produced very little rainfall to replenish the lakes. This resulted in lakes Travis and Buchanan, the region’s water supply reservoirs, falling to their third lowest combined storage level in history. The lowest combined storage in 2011 was 736,047 acre-feet (or 37 percent full) on Dec. 1. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.
Because the combined storage of lakes Buchanan and Travis is still significantly low, LCRA will not provide Highland Lakes water to most downstream farmers this year. The historic decision became official on March 1, when the combined storage of the lakes failed to reach 850,000 acre-feet. That was the level agreed upon last September by LCRA, with input from stakeholders throughout the basin, including downstream farmers, when it established the emergency drought relief measures that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved in December.
Because storage was less than 850,000 acre-feet on March 1, farmers in the Lakeside, Gulf Coast and Pierce Ranch irrigation operations will not receive any water from the Highland Lakes this year. Farmers in the Garwood irrigation operation will still receive some water from the Highland Lakes this year, up to 19,579 acre-feet, because of their contract with LCRA. For comparison, downstream farmers diverted about 368,000 acre-feet of Highland Lakes water last year for first and second crops.
Because of the recent rains, gauged inflows into the Highland Lakes for March were 103,367 acre-feet, which is 112 percent of March’s historical average of 92,377 acre-feet. This is the first month that inflows were above average since April 2010.
Lake Conditions
The table below shows current conditions at lakes Travis and Buchanan, along with projected conditions through Oct. 1, 2012, as compared to the conditions experienced during historical lows. This forecast incorporates the temporary emergency changes to the WMP approved by the TCEQ on Dec. 7, 2011.
| |
2012 |
2012 (projections) |
Historical Low** |
| May 1* |
Aug 1* |
Nov 1* |
| Lake Travis (feet above mean sea level msl -- msl) |
638.55
(32.5 feet below monthly average) |
638-632
feet msl |
638-632
feet msl |
614.18
feet msl
(8/14/1951) |
| Lake Buchanan (feet msl) |
996.65 feet msl
(16 feet below monthly average) |
993-989
feet msl |
989-983
feet msl |
983.70
(9/9/1952) |
Combined Storage of lakes Buchanan and Travis
(million acre-feet) / % of capacity |
0.96 acre-feet
48% |
0.91-0.84
acre-feet
43%-40% |
0.84-0.71
acre-feet
42%-35% |
0.62
acre-feet
31%
(9/9/1952) |
**Based on persistent dry conditions and following TCEQ approved temporary emergency changes to WMP
*** Based on daily 8 a.m. lake levels
Last year’s record hot and dry weather dried up many of the Highland Lakes’ tributaries and reduced the water flowing into the lakes, called inflows, to their lowest level ever recorded. Gauged inflows last year amounted to 127,699 acre-feet, which is about 10 percent of the historical average. In 2011 inflows provided less water to the Highland Lakes than the lakes lost in evaporation.
Thanks to rain earlier this year, inflows for the first three months of 2012 approached historical averages. Inflows even surpassed the historical average for the month of March. This was the first time monthly inflows have been above average since April 2010. But last month saw a return to dry weather, with less than a quarter of an inch of rain in the Austin area. Gauged inflows into the Highland Lakes for April were 19,420 acre-feet, which is 18 percent of April’s historical average of 106,212 acre-feet.
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Water flowing into the Highland Lakes
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The wet weather pattern that developed this past fall and winter has slowed down. From May through August, rainfall is expected to average near normal to slightly below normal, while the temperature is expected to average slightly above normal. Drought conditions could grow worse over the summer months. But a repeat of last summer’s record hot and dry weather is not expected. Most long-range climate models indicate the tropical Pacific waters will warm over the summer months, with a weak El Niño developing sometime this fall. El Niños typically cause a pattern of above normal rainfall across Texas in the fall and winter months. The tropical weather outlook for this summer indicates overall tropical activity will likely be slightly below normal. Sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are unusually warm this spring and this could cause more tropical development in the Gulf of Mexico region this summer. Some of these storms could possibly affect the Texas coast.
But going into the summer months, the lakes are significantly lower than they were this time last year. In early May 2011, lakes Travis and Buchanan contained about 1.4 million acre-feet of water and were about 70 percent full. In early May 2012, they contained about 960,000 acre-feet of water and were about 48 percent full.
LCRA Utilities
In November, all LCRA utilities went to enhanced stage two restrictions, which allows landscape watering no more than once a week when the combined storage of lakes Travis and Buchanan falls to 750,000 acre-feet or less. While the combined storage is above 750,000 acre-feet, the enhanced stage two restrictions will not be lifted because the drought continues and storage levels could begin to fall as we approach warmer months.
On Jan. 24, Spicewood Beach Water System went into Stage 4 restrictions because of a drop in the level of the well serving the system. Outdoor watering is not permitted under Stage 4.
Boat Ramps and Water Intakes
Rising lake levels allowed public boat ramps to open on lakes Buchanan and Travis in March. On Lake Buchanan, the public boat ramp at White Bluff Park is open. On Lake Travis, the public boat ramp at Mansfield Dam is open.
