Background: Over the past 3 days widespread rains of 6-10 have fallen on the Colorado river watershed above Austin. You may have seen amazing video of the Llano River wiping out homes and bridges. The llano river hit its highest level since 1935 with 300,000 cfs of water flowing into the CO River above Lake Travis at one point, This combined with other runoff caused Lake Travis to rise over 30 feet in 2 days!!
The current level at Lake Travis is over 701 feet with many homes flooded already...5th highest of all time
Llona river has receded with only 15,000 CFs now. Above the mouth of the LLona river is lake Manfield which was holding back water until after the rivers feeding in Lake Travis recede
They opened a record 8 floodgates on that Dam and 60,000 cfs is now flowing out,,this combined with other runoff means 90,000 cfs is still flowing into Lake Travis
Lake Travis now has 4 floodgates opened with outflow of 28,000 cfs. The record number is 6 gates in 1957. They are planning to open up to another 4 gates today which will cause flooding problems downstream for a record of 8 gates opened!!
with 90,000 inflow in and only 28,000 out Lake Travis is still rising about a foot every 6 hours 701.43 right now with a rise of about a foot every 6 hours
I should note that LCRA isn’t following its own flood protocol with states that only 30,000 cfs outlow until the lake hits 710
I should note: the Max outflow of Lake Travis is around 100,000 cfs which they will only do if the Dam is in Danger
we got ten inches this week. Lake Travis is nearing an all time high having risen 30 in something like 48 hours. Thats a 65 mile long and deep lake. Dams up the Colorado River west of Austin.
I live around 800 above sea level. All this is going on around 650 50 750 ten miles away. But, its huge. Hundreds of boats and docks got washed down the river, bridges destroyed that had been around 75 years and many helicopter rescues. I havent heard of anyone killed yet.
3 posted on 10/18/2018 7:22:04 AM PDT by rktman (Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?)
Since the first of September rainfall amounts have been much higher than normal here in the Texas Hill Country.
Yes and it was very widespread over much of the basin..plus its not summer and there is less vegetation to help absorb runoff
We had a dry summer here in DFW, enough to wipe out a bunch of my lawn. October, on the other hand, has been pretty much nonstop rain. That’s pretty much the way it works here in Texas. You get one or the other.
7 posted on 10/18/2018 7:33:39 AM PDT by zeugma (Power without accountability is fertilizer for tyranny.)
10 posted on 10/18/2018 7:42:47 AM PDT by rktman (Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?)
691 The lowest permanent homes at Graveyard Point at Lakeway on Lake Travis flood. Several temporary homes are in several feet of water. 688 Lowest temporary and mobile homes at Graveyard Point at Lakeway on Lake Travis flood. 685 The lowest temporary and mobile homes at Lakeway at Graveyard Point on Lake Travis are threatened.
I’ve lived in Austin since 1983 and remember the 1991 flooding of Lake Travis. We walked to the midway point across Mansfield Dam and were amazed at the amount of water they were letting out (I believe only 6 of the gates were opened at that time). This recent series of storms, by comparison, seems to be much more severe and I hope LCRA can manage this properly.
Not sure of exact situation at Canyon Lake but bulletins have been issued for New Braunfels/Guadeloupe River and other points some distance from Austin. More rain expected today.
well LCRA has been behind the curve prediction wise...and didn’t take into account the extreme rainfall at the currect time and followed it by the book. they could ave opened the 4 gates on Lake travis earlier . but then again with 350,000 cfs comning in a few 10.000 cfs isn’t going to do much
Perhaps even more important (for the long term outlook) for those of use from the San Antonio-Bexar Comale County area since the 1960’s, is that the Edwards Aquifer is now at all-time HIGH levels.
In the 70’s and 80’s all of South Texas feared we were draining the Edwards Aquifer, and that San Antonio and other cities would go dry.
This LIBERTY Rigid Blue Denim Bib Overall is made made Tough to be Long-Wearing and Functional with strong thread, triple stitched seams, bar-tacks to reinforce stress points, and heavy duty no-rust metal hardware.
With a Patented Zip-Top Bib Pocket for security with a large storage area, plus a Large Pocket with Security Flap and Snap big enough for any Cell Phone....you get the most secure storage for your valuables in any bib overall today! Plus, with many other pockets, this LIBERTY Bib Overall gives you lots and lots of storage space!
LIBERTY gives you 2 Pencil pockets and a Watch pocket with watch fob hole. Hammer loop and reinforced pliers and rule pockets. 2 large front pockets and 2 large reinforced rear pockets.