Amid floodgate operations by the Lower Colorado River Authority and Austin Water, the city of Austin imposed a waterway ban Friday. It will remain in effect until Tuesday.
Personal and commercial watercraft, water bikes, motorized surfboards, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and similar devices are prohibited on Lake Austin from Mansfield Dam to Tom Miller Dam, Lady Bird Lake and the Colorado River downstream of Longhorn Dam.
City officials said the ban is meant to keep people safe, as the waterways are expected to experience faster flows and increased debris, making recreational, commercial and navigational use unsafe. Officials also encouraged the public to avoid riverfront trails, which could flood as water levels rise.
The LCRA opened one floodgate at Mansfield Dam at 6 a.m. Saturday after Lake Travis overnight rose to the top of its conservation pool, an elevation of 681 feet above mean sea level.
Lake Travis was at 104% of its conservation capacity when the gate opened. A second floodgate was scheduled to open at 1 p.m. Saturday.
As of Saturday morning, two out the 24 floodgates were scheduled to be opened. It is the first time since 2019 that these floodgates are being opened.
“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.
Saturday afternoon, Travis County Judge Andy Brown signed a supplemental order to the disaster declaration issued earlier this week that bans recreational use, including boating, swimming, and other activities, on the Pedernales River and in Lake Travis between mile markers 27 and 37.
The ban does not apply to commercial operators, individuals designated as emergency response by a state or local official or agency or a representative of a state or local agency that accesses Lake Travis.
Brown said commercial operators should use “extreme caution” when navigating through the designated area, and advised the public to do the same in non-designated parts of the lake.