Severe drought can trigger lesser releases.
Depending on where we are in the weather cycle, the lakes may be near full or they may be dwindling. LCRA's state-approved Water Management Plan dictates how to allocate water conserved in the Highland Lakes among the various users during times of plenty and as the supply becomes more scarce. The Water Management Plan contains a number of trigger points for taking action during drought conditions. These decision thresholds are based on the combined storage levels in lakes Travis and Buchanan. The figure below shows the key points at which the LCRA takes actions.