TEXAS — It’s a development that underscores just how serious drought conditions in Central Texas and much of the state are. The Lower Colorado River Authority has announced that Highland Lakes water will not be available to agricultural customers in the lower Colorado River basin this year.

The move is a requirement of the state-approved Water Management Plan.

What You Need To Know

  • The Lower Colorado River Authority has announced that Highland Lakes water will not be available to agricultural customers in the lower Colorado River basin this year

  • The cutoff will affect water customers in the Gulf Coast, Lakeside and Pierce Ranch agricultural operations. Those operations are in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties

  • The LCRA, citing the U.S. Drought Monitor, said that the entire Hill Country watershed that the Highland Lakes feeds is in extreme drought

  • LCRA has entered drought response Stage 1 and is asking customers including municipalities and industries to reduce water use by 5%. 

The cutoff will affect water customers in the Gulf Coast, Lakeside and Pierce Ranch agricultural operations. Those operations are in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties.

“This is a serious drought,” said John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of Water. “The majority of the Hill Country has only received between 5 and 10 inches of rain since October, well below average, and the amount of water flowing into the Highland Lakes from January through June is the lowest on record for that six-month period.”

The LCRA, citing the U.S. Drought Monitor, said that the entire Hill Country watershed that the Highland Lakes feeds is in extreme drought.

Further, LCRA has entered drought response Stage 1 and is asking customers, including municipalities and industries, to reduce water use by 5%. There is abundant drinking water available, however.

“We have plenty of drinking water supplies available in the Highland Lakes, but we need to start tapping the brakes on water use because we don’t know when this drought will end,” Hofmann said. “Last week’s scattered showers were welcome, but weren’t enough to do much good in terms of water supply. We have been extremely hot and dry since late last year, which means evaporation is up and customers are using more water. Those factors, combined with the scarce amount of water flowing into the Highland Lakes since last fall, have caused lake levels to drop.’’

Water levels at lakes Travis and Buchanan, the two water supply reservoirs in the Highland Lakes, are expected to continue to decline through the summer.

“This is how the Water Management Plan was designed to work,” Hofmann said. “It allows LCRA to react quickly to changing conditions. In the past, we determined water availability at the beginning of the year that applied to both growing seasons. Now we make the determination for the second growing in the middle of the year, closer to the start of the second season. This approach better protects water supplies for cities and industries.”