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Posted
4 hours ago, HOOKEM4 said:

I am 100% not saying LT will flood because of Buchanan releases. I am talking about managing the timing of the plug coming down the Llano and outflow from Buchanan through LBJ and Marble Falls. If they release a single cfs and people flood they will raise hell. Even if it was just the Llano that caused it. At this point I am thinking it wont be an issue. We should get the Llano plug overnight and if Buchanan releases, it will be tomorrow midday/afternoon.

I probably shouldn't have posted that. Like most posts. Live and dont learn.

I checked 2900 bridge earlier in Kingsland, and there was a steady controlled flow of Llano River there -- it also appeared that LBJ is currently down at least a foot or so.  

Probably makes sense to have at least 1 gate currently open at both Wirtz and Starcke Dams. 

Definitely hope they can wait till later on Monday to release water from Buchanan.

 

Posted (edited)

Just found this...

 

And this...

Floodgate operations underway at LCRA dams after heavy downpours Sunday morning

The LCRA said it may need to open one or more floodgates at Buchanan Dam on Monday

Quote

AUSTIN, Texas — Floodgate operations got underway on the Highland Lakes on Sunday morning as heavy rains again fell across Central Texas.

Forecasters are warning of more flash flooding across the Hill Country as rain falls in areas already saturated from last weekend’s rains.

As of 8:50 a.m., the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) has opened one floodgate at Wirtz Dam at Lake LBJ. At 10 a.m., multiple floodgates were opened at Starcke Dam at Lake Marble Falls to release storm runoff flowing from the Llano River.

Heavy rains overnight caused the Llano River and its tributaries to rise. The runoff will be moved from Lake LBJ downstream into Lake Marble Falls, then downstream into Lake Travis, the LCRA said.

“Flows below the dams will be fast and water levels will be higher than usual,” the LCRA said. “Take action to protect people and property that may be affected.”

The LCRA said as inflows from weekend rains upstream of the Highland Lakes move into Lake Buchanan, it's possible it may need to open one or more floodgates at Buchanan Dam on Monday.

A ban on recreational activities on Lake Travis was amended on Sunday. Instead of all of Lake Travis, only areas upstream from mile marker 36 and upstream of Sandy Creek Park are closed for recreational use. 

This ban does not apply to commercial operators, emergency personnel or state and local agencies.

 

 

 

Edited by LTtxfan
Posted

They will 100% take it to 683 if possible. Many moons ago they said that may be the new pool elevation. They are in the business of water so they will hold as much back as possible. Seriously doubt water leaves Travis beyond electric from this deal.

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Posted
1 minute ago, HOOKEM4 said:

They will 100% take it to 683 if possible. Many moons ago they said that may be the new pool elevation. They are in the business of water so they will hold as much back as possible. Seriously doubt water leaves Travis beyond electric from this deal.

Rice farmers might have a big say. 

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Posted
6 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

Not to be Debbie downer but how much does the LCRA have to send to the rice farmers downriver, and when?

I believe the rice farmers' supply is interruptible, meaning that LCRA can turn them off in times of drought.  Not sure when we qualify as no longer in a drought.

LCRA just finished and filled a new reservoir downstream from Austin, the Arbuckle Reservoir, which is 90,000 acre-feet of new storage.  By comparison, LT is around 1,100,000 acre-feet when full, and a lot more when flooded.

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Posted
9 hours ago, crash_davis said:

Rice farmers might have a big say. 

"On March 1, LCRA determined that based on criteria in the WMP, no stored water from the Highland Lakes would be available to most interruptible customers in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties in 2025. The next opportunity for water from the Highland Lakes to be available for interruptible customers will be 2026."

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Posted

Last couple go-rounds, they had the gates open around 690-695, IIRC.  I think it was July 5th, 2007, we saw a huge  flood, pushed it up to 701, they had 4 flood gates opened.  I do recall hearing a story from an old buddy about how the dam can only handle 4 FGs at a time since traffic was shifted off the top of the dam.  The natural frequency at that time was offset by vehicle traffic on the dam itself, but without it, opening more than 4 gates risked permanent damage and or failure in the structure.  This was taken from the SCUBA park at Mansfield back then.

No photo description available.

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Posted
1 hour ago, HiggyBaby said:

Back in ‘91 they didn’t start releasing until 710’

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16xc7ULNXQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

That was a crazy flood.  They didn't really choose to hold that much water, they just couldn't safely release because it was also flooding downstream. 

I've got pictures of my best friend and me, canoeing through his family's lake house in Volente, with about 2' of water in it, much like one of the pictures in that video.  It was really, really old, just a little cabin built before they bought it in the 70s, and they took it down after that and rebuilt, this time much higher on their property.  I was out there for weeks helping them let out the cables on the dock, and then pull them back in when LCRA started releasing.

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Posted
27 minutes ago, DaysOff said:

Frio River now flooding. My daughter's camp was awoken at 0200 for all the workers to meet at the ranch house for evac. preperation. The camp is owned by the HEB Foundation and they have their own sensors in the river at the headwaters, so these camps will be on high alert forever if a cloud forms overhead.

supposed to crest over 16 feet. Still well below all time high of 34 feet. Glad to hear the warning system worked there and the kids are safe. 

Frio River at Concan

I didn't realize two of the top 5 all time floods happened during my summers working there. We were young and dumb and floated after it came down some.

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Posted

Just to put a finer point on the way Travis fills, using "Is The Lake Full Yet" numbers, it's currently at 77.1% capacity (by volume) but 91.8% full (by water level).

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Posted

LCRA can take plenty of criticism but I’ve thought they’ve done well with flood operations over the years. Folks with first floors under the spillway level on Travis are never really a consideration (we have some friends on graveyard point) but when you think about the goal of minimizing floods along the Colorado they seem to do a good job, it’s mostly the tributaries that flood and down stream if the rain event is below Austin. 

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Posted
54 minutes ago, DaysOff said:

Frio River now flooding. My daughter's camp was awoken at 0200 for all the workers to meet at the ranch house for evac. preperation. The camp is owned by the HEB Foundation and they have their own sensors in the river at the headwaters, so these camps will be on high alert forever if a cloud forms overhead.

Laity Lodge?

Posted
22 minutes ago, Fiscal dominance said:

supposed to crest over 16 feet. Still well below all time high of 34 feet. Glad to hear the warning system worked there and the kids are safe. 

Frio River at Concan

I didn't realize two of the top 5 all time floods happened during my summers working there. We were young and dumb and floated after it came down some.

Same here.   A normally 3 hour float took about 30 mins.   Won’t dare do that now as a 53 year olds…..   I was up there in 1987 when the floods that made the national news on the Guadalupe dumped the same amounts of rains in the headwaters of the Frio.    It’s amazing what a matter of miles can do with rivers up there from being in flood stage to a trickle during these rain events. 

Posted

I'm a bit perturbed how the local water districts and Austin Water won't remove Stage 2 restrictions until the DCP exit conditions are met for 4 months continuously.  I.e. the two variable level lakes must have a combined storage over 1.2MM acre-feet for 4 months continuously before they will lift the restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1, then to no restrictions.  Nevermind we just crossed the 1.7MM a-f storage mark, and would take a few years worth of usage and evaporation to back down to the 1.2MM a-f mark.  I guess the water districts need a way to fine the hell out of the customers and make some good side cash.

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Posted
33 minutes ago, Nueces River Rat said:

This guy does a wonderful job covering the Frio from the headwaters down past Uvalde, flood or drought.    

https://fb.watch/AQRbS7rT2r/?

Today has been glorious,  im glad and hope everyone stays safe, but fucking A if this isn't great to see. I feel like its a special holiday, cancel work, everyone go home and enjoy the rain. 

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Posted
3 minutes ago, Ten Bears said:

It's like the rain God said "Oh, yeah, Medina Lake needs some too."

 

2 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Thats also the dryest area in Texas at the moment

I was about to say. well except the shitty spelling part.

Posted

it's moving north actually, slowly. one austin based meteorologist on the socials said maybe another 5 inches over the HC. effing crazy. LT could approach officially full if another bullseye strike occurs.

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Posted
2 hours ago, DaysOff said:

Frio River now flooding. My daughter's camp was awoken at 0200 for all the workers to meet at the ranch house for evac. preperation. The camp is owned by the HEB Foundation and they have their own sensors in the river at the headwaters, so these camps will be on high alert forever if a cloud forms overhead.

I stayed at that camp as a kid back in the early 90s. (On scholarship cause I was poor.) From my memory they took water safety very seriously (both flood safety and swimming normally). 

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Posted
1 hour ago, Dewey said:

Today has been glorious,  im glad and hope everyone stays safe, but fucking A if this isn't great to see. I feel like its a special holiday, cancel work, everyone go home and enjoy the rain. 

I wish more would go towards Camp Wood and the Nueces River up there.   

Posted
2 hours ago, PvilleStang said:

I'm a bit perturbed how the local water districts and Austin Water won't remove Stage 2 restrictions until the DCP exit conditions are met for 4 months continuously.  I.e. the two variable level lakes must have a combined storage over 1.2MM acre-feet for 4 months continuously before they will lift the restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1, then to no restrictions.  Nevermind we just crossed the 1.7MM a-f storage mark, and would take a few years worth of usage and evaporation to back down to the 1.2MM a-f mark.  I guess the water districts need a way to fine the hell out of the customers and make some good side cash.

Im curious about this point.  IMO, in our new normal, I believe we should stay in some form of water restriction so that we are better prepared for the next dry spell.  Isn't it prudent to keep that water in the bank, so to speak, rather than to have everyone water their lawn whenever they want to when the lakes fill up?

Is there something I'm missing?  I don't live in Austin anymore, so I very well could be.

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