Misplaced Pages

#820179

32-558: Serving principally as a flood-control reservoir, Lake Travis' historical minimum to maximum water height change is nearly 100 feet. Following the 2018 Llano River flood , Lake Travis saw a 20-foot depth increase within a single 24-hour period of time. With 30 square miles of surface area, Lake Travis has the largest storage capacity of the seven reservoirs known as the Highland Lakes , and stretches 65 miles (105 km) upriver from western Travis County (near Lago Vista, Texas ) in

64-546: A Native American's skull to a Space Shuttle Columbia tank. On August 30, several homes in Oklahoma City were destroyed along with 1,500 wooded acres. Hundreds of homes had to be evacuated. The drought had a detrimental effect on Texas and Oklahoma cattle ranches, who deeply culled their herds and helped cut the national cattle population to the lowest level in decades. 2012 spring rainfall improved conditions in many parts of Texas and by April 12, 2012, only 14% of

96-471: A highly serpentine course into southern Burnet County to Max Starcke Dam , southwest of the town of Marble Falls . Besides being used for flood control and as a water supply, the lake is also used for electrical power generation and recreation. The Pedernales River , a major tributary of the Colorado River, flows into the lake from southwestern Travis County. The reservoir was formed in 1942 by

128-784: A joint effort of the National Drought Mitigation Center, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , as of late November 2012, about 4 percent of Texas remained in "extreme" or "exceptional" drought, the two most severe categories. The drought caused billions of dollars in losses throughout the state economy. Farmers and ranchers were among those hardest hit. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service estimates that Texas agricultural producers lost nearly $ 7.6 billion due to

160-418: A nuisance. Lake Travis is considered "full" (at maximum desired capacity) when the lake's water level is at 681 feet (208 m) above mean sea level (msl). Above 681 feet (208 m), flood control gates at Mansfield Dam are opened under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The level of the lake can vary dramatically—with an over 96-foot range between its historical high and low—depending on

192-566: A rate of 375,000 cfs. The flooding raised the turbidity of City of Austin 's water supply (which is sourced exclusively from the Colorado River ) to untenable levels, forcing the city to issue a seven-day boil water notice By December 2018 payments under the National Flood Insurance Program had exceeded $ 22 million In the end, two people died as a result of the floods. The RM 2900 bridge in Kingsland

224-512: A three-year pattern from 2010 to 2013. The worst effects were in Texas, which experienced the brunt of the drought and its driest August–July (12-month) period on record from 2010 to 2011. The dry spell in May 2011 was also said to be the worst period of drought in Texas since 1895. The U.S. Drought Monitor reported that Lubbock, Texas , has experienced the nation's worst average level of drought since

256-831: Is a tributary of the Colorado River , about 105 miles (169 km) long, in Texas in the United States. It drains part of the Edwards Plateau in Texas Hill Country northwest of Austin . Two spring-fed tributaries, the North and South Llano, stretch across the otherwise arid lands of West Texas before merging just east of the small town of Junction , in Kimble County , forming the head of

288-628: Is the only legal clothing optional park in Texas. Lake Travis is generally considered one of the clearest lakes in Texas. It is a vital water supply for the nearby city of Austin, Texas and the surrounding metropolitan area. In a ranking of Texas lakes by accidental fatalities, Lake Travis was in first place in 2011 and tied for second place for total deaths from 2000–2015. Six people drowned in Lake Travis in 2018, out of 29 total boating deaths reported across Texas that year. Lake Travis has been stocked with several species of fish intended to improve

320-522: The RM 2900 bridge in Kingsland to collapse and what used to be a two-minute drive across town became a 40-50 minute drive. The flooding was so intense that the Colorado River began to flow backwards briefly. The flood waters entered into the Colorado River and flood gates on every dam on the Texas Highland Lakes were opened. Lake Travis rose 25 feet in 24 hours and water flowed into it at

352-665: The Llano River proper. The Llano River runs generally east-northeast through the rolling limestone terrain of the Edwards Plateau as it flows through Kimble County and across rural Mason County , passing to the south of the town of Mason, Texas . Continuing in an easterly direction, the river carves its way through the Llano Uplift , a roughly circular geologic dome of Precambrian rock, primarily granite , located in Central Texas . Flowing through Llano County ,

SECTION 10

#1732783835821

384-547: The amount of rainfall in the Colorado River basin upstream. The historic high level on the lake was 710.4 feet (216.5 m) above msl on December 25, 1991, a little less than four feet below the dam's top/spillway at 714 feet (218 m) above msl. The historic low was 614.2 feet (187.2 m) above msl on August 14, 1951. The extreme drought of 2008–2009 brought the lake to its fourth lowest level at 626.09 feet (190.83 m) above msl in November 2009. The second lowest level

416-424: The beginning of 2011. McAllen , Harlingen , Brownsville and Corpus Christi also ranked among the nine U.S. cities most affected by extreme drought. The drought in Texas caused an estimated $ 7.62 billion in crop and livestock losses, surpassing the previous record loss of $ 4.1 billion set in 2006. The drought began due to a strong La Niña developing by the summer of 2010 which brings below average rainfall to

448-414: The catastrophic loss of the dam. Including its hydroelectric generators but not the spillway, at 681 feet above msl the dam's total maximum discharge capacity is more than 130,000 cubic feet per second (cfs); a bit under one million gallons per second. Rates of discharge increase as water levels/pressures increase. Llano River#2018 Flood The Llano River ( / ˈ l æ n oʊ / LAN -oh )

480-538: The construction of Mansfield Dam on the western edge of Austin, Texas by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), and was built specifically to contain floodwaters in a flash-flood prone region. During its construction, after a severe flood in July 1938, the height of the dam was raised to add storage capacity for floodwaters. Regularly scheduled ferry service between Point Venture and

512-451: The dam itself. While the dam's physical design assists in its own protection during floods, extensive spillway operations, a worst-case scenario which has not happened in the lake's history, could undermine the dam's base and affect its overall integrity. Under such conditions, operations are primarily intended to protect the dam, and lake water may be released to the dam's full, 24-floodgate capacity—regardless of downstream effects—to prevent

544-634: The drought continued and intensified in the Deep South as Texas saw 2011 become its second-driest year on record, Oklahoma saw its fourth-driest, and Georgia saw its seventh-driest year on record. The winter of 2011–12 was one of the driest winters on record for the eastern and central United States. In the spring of 2012, the drought made a massive expansion from the Deep South to the Midwest, Mid-south, Great Plains, and Ohio valley. At its peak in August 2012

576-470: The drought covered approximately 81% of the United States. Throughout the winter of 2012–13, heavy rain and snow brought relief to the drought in the southern and eastern United States, even causing severe flooding. By March 2013, the eastern United States was drought-free, effectively ending the 2010–13 southern U.S. drought. Drought continued on the Great Plains until 2014. However, drought developed in

608-491: The drought which decimated crops, killed over a million cattle, and stressed local water and food supplies. The drought has been described as the worst seen in the country in 70 years. By the end of August 2011, a ban on outdoor burning was in effect for 251 of the 254 Texas counties. Lake levels in Texas had declined vastly, some by as much as 50 feet; E.V. Spence Reservoir dropped below 1% capacity in July 2011. This revealed various previously submerged items, ranging from

640-601: The flow rate increased from its normal rate of 111 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 118,000 cfs. Less than a week later the remnants of Hurricane Willa rolled into the area, followed by another front, on October 16, 2018. Upwards of a foot of rain fell in Llano, Texas. The flow rate of the Llano River, in Llano, had increased from its normal rate of 150 cfs to 275,000 cfs. The river crested at 39.9 feet, its highest level in more than 80 years and just 1.5 feet below its record high of 41.5 ft, set in 1935. The high flow rate caused

672-470: The north were true. As the legend goes, Miranda came across a cave in the side of a hill in the vicinity of the Rio de las Chanas (Llano River), and reported astounding quantities of silver to be found within. On October 9, 2018, a cold front swept through the hill country where it encountered the remnants of Hurricane Sergio . Mason County saw 10" of rain and Lake Travis saw a 3' rise. In Junction, Texas,

SECTION 20

#1732783835821

704-612: The primary flood control reservoir of the Highland Lake chain. The LCRA, under advisement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is responsible for floodgate operations at Mansfield Dam. Ideally, this is done in a time-delayed fashion after a major rainfall so as to either mitigate or outright prevent downstream flooding which otherwise would have been both immediate and extreme without the dam's presence. As Lake Travis levels increase during major floods, floodgate operations are conducted to protect property around Lake Travis as well as

736-469: The river passes to the north of Enchanted Rock and flows through the town of Llano, Texas . Northeast of Llano, it turns sharply to the southeast, joining the Colorado from the northwest as an arm of Lake Lyndon B. Johnson , about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Llano at Kingsland . This river is one of the few popular fly fishing destinations in the state of Texas, and contains Guadalupe bass ,

768-466: The south side of Hurst Creek began in April 1971, operated by Point Venture Development Co. The trip took 20 minutes and was the only inland ferry service in Texas at the time. On September 5, 2020, a boat parade took place in support of Donald Trump . The Travis County Sheriff's office reported that they had received multiple calls involving boats in distress, and that several boats had sunk. The weather

800-484: The southern United States. The effects of the La Niña could be noticed immediately as much of the south receives important rainfall during the summer, and this was the driest summer for Texas and Georgia in the 21st century thus far, and much of the south received record low rainfall. Throughout 2011, the drought was confined to the Deep South as the mid-south received flooding due to severe weather and tornadoes. However,

832-538: The state fish of Texas. The Llano also contains largemouth bass , Longnose gar , Spotted gar , and various sunfish . The river is also associated with the legend of the Los Almagres Mine. Translated from Spanish, almagre means red ochre. In 1756, the lieutenant-general of Texas (then still a province of New Spain ), Don Bernardo de Miranda, launched an expedition from San Fernando ( San Antonio ), to ascertain whether rumors of rich mineral deposits to

864-404: The state was in "exceptional" drought, compared to 88% at the drought's peak. In spring and summer of 2012, the drought expanded and formed the 2012 North American drought , affecting more than 80% of the contiguous United States . In late summer of 2012, the drought eased in portions of the southern US, but continued to intensify in the central US. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor,

896-533: The utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Lake Travis include largemouth bass , guadalupe bass , white bass , striped bass , catfish and sunfish . Lake Travis is a popular fishing destination for anglers in Texas not only because of its stocked inventory but because of the convenient boating services and marinas in the area such as VIP Lake Travis Marina . In spring 2008 there were several reports of leeches residing in Lake Travis. The leeches are generally harmless to humans but can be

928-761: The western United States in 2013 and still exists today in some areas. The drought caused severe lack of water in the southern plains and Rocky Mountains as well as numerous wildfires , in particular the 2011 Texas wildfires , the Wallow Fire and Horseshoe 2 Fire in Arizona, the Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire and Little Bear Fire in New Mexico , and the 2012 Colorado wildfires in Colorado . Mexico also saw serious impact from

960-424: Was 615.02 feet (187.46 m) above msl on November 8, 1963. During the 2010–13 Southern United States drought , levels went as low as 618 feet, making it the third lowest level ever. The LCRA , a public utility whose responsibilities include the management of Lake Travis, makes water level reports available on the internet. In April 2016, the lake returned to its full capacity at 681 ft. Lake Travis serves as

992-420: Was calm, but the boats generated significant wake as they began to move together, which subsequently sank at least five boats. The hashtag #dumbkirk trended on Twitter following the incident. Lake Travis is well known for its outdoor recreation opportunities, including fishing, boating, swimming, scuba diving, picnicking, camping, and zip lining. Hippie Hollow Park , located near the eastern end of Lake Travis,

Lake Travis - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-660: Was rebuilt less than a year later. 2010%E2%80%9313 Southern United States drought The 2010–2013 Southern United States and Mexico drought was a severe to extreme drought that plagued the Southern United States , including parts of Texas , Louisiana , Arkansas , Mississippi , Alabama , Georgia , South Carolina , North Carolina , Florida , and Oklahoma ; the Southwestern States , including Kansas , Colorado , New Mexico , and Arizona ; as well as large parts of Mexico , in

#820179