Water supply dwindling for Central Texas as sources dry up

More grim drought-related news from the Lower Colorado River Authority: Streams, springs and rivers that feed Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan, which provide drinking water for 1.1 million Texans, have all but dried up. So far this year, the amount of water flowing into the Highland Lakes is less than 23 percent of average.

“If the current trends continue, then we could set a new record low for how much water flows into the Highland Lakes this year,” said Mark Jordan, LCRA manager of River Management. “This is a major factor in why lakes Travis and Buchanan are low.” As record high temperatures and dry conditions persist in Central Texas, the Lower Colorado River Authority is encouraging area residents to use water wisely and follow water-use restrictions to prevent or delay more severe measures if the drought persists.

Record-high temperatures cause more evaporation from the lakes. LCRA officials estimate that Lake Travis drops about two-tenths of a foot each week due to evaporation. Last year, about 220,000 acre-feet of water was lost to evaporation, which is about 30 percent more water than the City of Austin used in 2008 to meet its municipal needs. (An acre-foot roughly equals the amount of water needed to cover a football field one foot deep.)