Drawdown of Lake Marble Falls set to begin Oct. 1

Property owners can perform repairs on docks, retaining walls during drawdown

Sept. 26, 2022

BURNET COUNTY, Texas – The Lower Colorado River Authority will begin lowering Lake Marble Falls for a three-month drawdown on Saturday.

The drawdown is scheduled from Oct. 1 through Dec. 29 to enable LCRA to perform work at Starcke Dam to keep the hydroelectric generators operating safely and reliably over the winter.

During the drawdown, lakeside property owners can perform work on existing docks, retaining walls and other infrastructure under LCRA’s lakewide permit from the Army Corps of Engineers.

For a list of projects allowed during the drawdown and to register projects with LCRA, visit www.lcra.org/lakelowerings. Registration for dock repairs is not required, but all work must comply with the Safety Standards for Residential Docks on the Highland Lakes. Activities prohibited during the drawdown include burning in the lakebed, replacing or building new retaining walls, shoreline work of more than 500 feet, and dredging more than 2,000 cubic yards.

The lake will be lowered about 1 foot a day for seven days beginning Saturday, Oct. 1, through Friday, Oct. 7. The lake will be lowered by releasing water through the hydroelectric generators at Starcke Dam into Lake Travis. The water released from Lake Marble Falls will total about 3,000 acre-feet, which will cause Lake Travis to rise by a couple of inches. (One acre-foot equals about 326,000 gallons.)

The lake refill is scheduled to begin Monday, Dec. 26. LCRA plans to raise the lake about 2 feet a day until it is back within its normal operating range by Thursday, Dec. 29.

Lake Marble Falls will be refilled with a combination of water released from Lake Buchanan and sent downstream through Inks Lake and Lake LBJ, and water flowing into the Colorado River from tributaries into or upstream of Lake Marble Falls. The refill could cause Lake Buchanan to fall a maximum of a couple of inches.

During the drawdown, LCRA will move water downstream through a partially open floodgate to meet routine water supply needs and manage the level of Lake Marble Falls. Flows through the partially open floodgate will not exceed what is discharged through hydroelectric generation.

About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations. For more information, visit lcra.org.

Media Contact
Clara Tuma
512–578–3292
[email protected]