LCRA

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Texas Parks and Wildlife officials recovered two bodies in three days and unveiled the possible cause of death in the unrelated boating incidents over the weekend along the Colorado River on Lake LBJ.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

An upcoming lake drawdown will provide an economic boost for the construction industry, as crews and heavy equipment descend on lakes LBJ and Marble Falls.

The Lower Colorado River Authority is scheduled to lower the waterways for an eight-week period starting Sunday Dec. 30 and ending Saturday, Feb. 23. Lake LBJ will be lowered 4 feet; 1 foot per day for the first four days. The Lake Marble Falls drawdown involves a 7-foot drop in the waterway's normal level; 1 foot per day for the first seven days.

“Your lumber stores, they're going to have sales of people wanting to reinforce or build,” said Scott Ross of Boats, Batteries and Slips. Ross primarily does hydraulic power-pack installations and frequently works along-side other businesses in the lakeside structure construction industry.

By Savanna Gregg

Staff Writer

The Highlander

After buckets of rain filled the Colorado and Llano Rivers on Tuesday, Oct. 16, the Lower Colorado River Authority made the decision to open eight flood gates at Buchanan Dam to release much of the floodwaters.

This in turn created a hazard for residents living along Lakes Buchanan, Inks, Wirtz, Starcke, Mansfield, and Tom Miller as waters began to rush through the Highland Lakes on Tuesday evening.

To ensure the safety of its campers and visitors, officials at Inks Lake State Park decided to close their trails on Tuesday, Oct. 16 when the first four gates were opened.

Upon the next four gates being opened on Wednesday, Oct. 17, park officials made the decision to close the park entirely, moving 34 campers out and discouraging other visitors as waters continued to rise.

From Staff Reports •

From staff reports •

The Lower Colorado River Authority was expected to open flood gates at Wirtz and Starcke Dams Tuesday, Oct. 9, and Wednesday, Oct. 10, due to a large inflow of water from flooding along the Llano River which will pass through Lake Marble Falls.

City of Marble Falls issued an alert Monday afternoon to remind residents that while Lake Marble Falls' level is expected to remian within its normal operating range as a constant-level lake, fast moving currents could carry away unsecured boats and other aquatic items. Residents were being asked to monitor weather conditions for the next several days as conditions could change.

Authorities have sent a human skull found in the receding Lake Buchanan shoreline Aug. 8 for forensic testing to determine identity and age of the bones, according to the Llano County Sheriff's Office.

The human skull was found by an individual on a personal watercraft that evening as the recreationist was attempting to dock the watercraft on the shoreline in an area of Poppy's Point on the west side of the lake just of Ranch Road 261 in Llano County.

On Aug. 9 the following day, the Department of Public Safety dive team members spent about three hours searching for other bones but found none, Llano County Sheriff Bill Blackburn said.

The Buchanan Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) will purchase equipment to safely and quickly refill firefighter air tanks with the help of a $24,000 community development grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA).

Thieves broke into the fire station off Texas 29 in Llano County in January and damaged or destroyed a large amount of equipment, including the air compressor used to refill the air tanks firefighters use when responding to hazards.

The fire department will use the grant to buy a new compressor, a station that can fill two air cylinders at a time, and a system of six high-pressure cylinders that firefighters can take with them on calls to refill individual air tanks.

An additional $6,000 in local matching funds will help pay for the equipment.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Waterfront property owners will begin a flurry of activity Jan. 2 when the drawdown of Lake LBJ promised by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) begins.

Until about Feb. 13, property owners will be able to work on docks and retaining walls, perform dredging, debris removal and other maintenance work. There are limitations on work, including a prohibition against burning debris in the lakebed or dumping dredged material in the lakebed or along the shoreline.

The problems were rife in the City of Granite Shoals during the last lowering of Lake LBJ, in 2008, when parks and, most egregiously, the Granite Shoals Airport became dumping grounds.

In response, Granite Shoals citizens will find dumpsters in a dozen city parks for refuse disposal.

By Alexandria Randolph

Highland Lakes Newspapers

August was a wet month for the Highland Lakes, and State Climatologists said record-setting rainfall may not be over.

Preliminary totals indicate that August averaged about 5.69 inches of rain statewide, in a tie with 1914 for the wettest August on record, according to figures from the State Climatologist office at Texas A&M University.

John Nielsen-Gammon, professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M who also serves as State Climatologist, said the wet month was due to an atmospheric wind pattern that pumped lots of deep, moist tropical air into Texas.

The wet months could continue for a while, he notes.

“September and October are historically among the wettest months of the year in Texas, so if normal conditions continue, we will see several more inches of rain,” he explained.

The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) on Tuesday, May 31, issued temporary closings to recreational boating on Lake LBJ and Lake Marble Falls.

Specifically the ban refers to portions of each lake because of flooding rains and strong flow of the Colorado River. The partial lake closures will remain in effect until further notice.

The closures includes: