AUSTIN, Texas — After heavy rains hit the Texas Hill Country this week, the City of Austin is banning water activities on Lady Bird Lake and other city waterways.
The city said all watercrafts, including canoes, kayaks and paddleboards, are not allowed on Lake Austin from the Mansfield Dam to the Tom Miller Dam, Lady Bird Lake and the Colorado River downstream of the Longhorn Dam.
The ban began on Friday as the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) opened floodgates at dams in Travis County. The ban will be in effect until 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
The LCRA said it would open at least two floodgates at the Mansfield Dam, and it opened one floodgate on Friday at the Tom Miller Dam in Austin. This is the first floodgate operation at Mansfield Dam since 2019 as Lake Travis rises into its flood pool, the LCRA said.
“Additional floodgate operations may be needed depending on conditions,” the LCRA said in a news release.
The city also urged people to avoid riverfront trails during this time, as they can become unsafe as the water level rises.
“The Highland Lakes system is operating as designed, moving water through the lakes in an orderly manner,” said John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of water, in the release.
Both the city and the LCRA warned of faster water flows and debris as the dams opened to release floodwaters. The LCRA also warned that bacteria levels usually rise after flooding.