LAKE TRAVIS THEN, NOW: PHOTOS OF THE REFILL
With water levels up by more than 20 feet, businesses are thrilled.
Thanks to the downpours over Memorial Day weekend that bumped up Lake Travis water levels by more than 20 feet, boating on the lake will be more accessible to the public this summer than it has been in three years.
“It’s going to help a lot,” said Buzz Watkins, co-owner of the Sail and Ski Yacht Club on the lake.
“We haven’t had a ramp in the water in three years, and now it’s fully open,” Watkins said. “It’ll be a lot easier for us to handle customer boats and for them to gain water access … trailer boating is now possible again. This is going to increase boat sales, service, everything.”
But with the lake strewn with branches, trees and debris from the storm, boating will be hazardous for at least several weeks, warns Lower Colorado River Authority spokeswoman Clara Tuma.
“Most of the debris will set-
tle and sink,” Tuma said in an email. “Some of the bigger pieces such as logs will end up along the shoreline. LCRA will remove or mark any obstructions in the main navigational channels with buoys. Once the rains stop, this settling process can take three to six weeks. In the meantime, anyone using the Highland Lakes, especially Lake Travis, needs to exercise caution and keep a sharp lookout for debris.”
All four public boat ramps at Mansfield Dam Park are open, District Park Manager for Travis County Parks Dan Perry said. Tournament Point boat ramp at Pace Bend Park is also open, he said, but the floating piles of trash and twigs are caus- ing a holdup.
One boat ramp has been blocked by debris, said Perry, who expects to see crowds of boaters soon.
“The lake has been low for so many years, I think it’s going to be a madhouse,” he said.
Lakeside eatery the Oasis on Lake Travis is already seeing increased business, assistant manager Billy Enney said.
“At lunch we typically see five or six tables, but we have 15 full so far,” Enney said on Thursday. “Everybody is very curious about the lake. … We’ve had brisk business this week so far. It’s great.”
The sweet spot for tourism at the lake is about 660 feet above sea level, according to a 2011 economic study commissioned by Travis County and the Lake Travis Economic Stakeholders Committee. When the lake levels sink below 650 feet, the study found, “visitation sharply declines, driven by the closure of most of the lake’s boat ramps as well as media attention which highlights safety and accessibility issues, perceived or real, at Lake Travis.”
As of Thursday, the lake level is around 659 feet.
“This is going to open up sales of sport boats, runabout boats, bow riders, pontoons, and it’s going to help us bring more customers in,” Austin Boats and Motors sales manager Eric Ruiz said. “All I want is 20 more feet. Once we clear the debris out and get the ramps open, the general public will get out and enjoy the lake a lot more.”