DROUGHT RISK RISING Much of western Travis and Williamson counties are experiencing drought conditions, resulting in increased wildfire risk.
Williamson County 60.1% of the county is seeing moderate or above drought conditions.
ABNORMALLY DRY
Producers begin supplemental feeding for livestock
Grass fires increase
195
35
Planting is postponed
Surface water levels decline
183
MODERATE DROUGHT
Williamson County
Dryland crops are stunted
Stock tanks, creeks, streams low
Voluntary water restrictions requested
Round Rock
Wildfire frequency increases
LAKE TRAVIS
Cedar Park
SEVERE DROUGHT
Pasture conditions are very poor
Burn bans are implemented
130 TOLL
Travis County 46.8% of the county is seeing moderate or above drought conditions.
Wildlife moves into populated areas
71
Crop yields decrease
Lakeway
Austin
Mandatory water restrictions are implemented
Wildfire danger is severe
Travis County
EXTREME DROUGHT
290
Crops fail to germinate; decreased yields for irrigated crops
Supplemental feeding for livestock, herds are sold Soil has large cracks; soil moisture is very low
NOTE: AS OF MAY 10 (LATEST DATA PUBLISHED) SOURCE: U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
MAP NOT TO SCALE N
KEEPING UP WITH WATER LEVELS The drought of 2008-15 took a major toll on Lake Travis. In 2011, nearly 50% of available water in Lake Travis was sent downstream to irrigators, according to the Central Texas Water Coalition. Lake Travis is considered
upon natural variability in the climate cycle. “Texas [rainfall] is quite variable from season to season and year to year,” he said. “We’ve had some decades with 50% more rainfall than other decades, for example.” The unpredictability of drought has prompted activists such as Tedder to call for more conserva- tion efforts from entities such as the Lower Colorado River Authority, which manages water in the High- land Lakes area. The Greater Austin area population grew 33.7% between 2010-20, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The region is expected to grow from roughly 2.2 million residents in 2020 to 4.5 million in 2050. The massive increase will strain the Highland Lakes system, including Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan, that provides water to the area, Tedder said. One particular area of concern is the decline of water flowing into the Highland Lakes. Multiple fac- tors cause declining inflows, including the unregu- lated sale and use of water upstream, she said. Though the state water plan has been in place since the mid-1900s, 25 years ago it started using a system that splits Texas into 16 regions, each of which develops its own plan that is then compiled into the state water plan. The Highland Lakes sys- tem is part of Region K, which stretches from the top of the Highland Lakes to Matagorda Bay. “The biggest flaw is that the [state water plan] doesn’t explicitly take into account climate change, at least not at the state level,” Nielsen-Gammon said. Mitigating drought Lake Travis is a significant economic engine, gen- erating $207.2 million in revenue for state and local governments, $3.6 million in hotel and mixed bever- age taxes, and $45.2 million in sales tax from com- mercial businesses annually, according to the Lake Travis Coalition. In 2011, nearly 50% of available water in Lake Travis was released downstream to irrigators for
to be at full capacity at 681 feet mean sea level. Lake Travis water levels from 2008-22 in April 700 Capacity line: 681 feet
681.90
678.93
668.11
673.59
650
660.81
657.87
639.95
626.88
600
0
SOURCES: GO LAKE TRAVIS, LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
farming, according to the CTWC. After 2011, the LCRA put a system in place to prevent water being sent downstream to irrigators when needed by cit- ies. The problem with this system is Austin is good at conserving water, which makes it appear there is more water available than there is, Tedder said. The combined storage of Lakes Travis and Buchanan is about 2 million acre-feet when full. One acre-foot is equal to 325,851 gallons of water. As of March, the combined storage of both reservoirs was at 77% capacity, according to the LCRA. To prevent the overestimation of upstream water resources, the CTWC recommends the LCRA imple- ment a “safe yield” system that would keep enough water needed to sustain cities in the upper basin for at least a year. The LCRA declined to comment for this story but released a statement that the plan in place is designed to maintain enough supplies for municipal water use even during the worst drought the region has seen. In addition to improved conservation efforts, it
is also important to increase wildfire preparedness, said Will Boettner, Travis County wildfire mitigation officer. For western Travis County, the abundant greenery presents ample opportunity for a wildfire during a drought. Western Travis County has few fire hydrants, so most fire trucks use water from attached tanks, Boettner said. During a drought when water levels in Lake Travis are lower, water pressures may be too low, or water may become unavailable. “That’s why we’ve become much more proac- tive with trying to prevent fires from ever getting started,” he said. While the future of Lake Travis in the face of drought remains uncertain, it is key to keep looking ahead, Tedder said. “It’s hard to get the word out and educate people about what’s really happening,” Tedder said. “You need to be doing your hard planning when there is plenty of water, because when you’re in a drought, it’s too late.”
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ROUND ROCK EDITION • JUNE 2022
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