Medina Lake is receiving a significant recharge event, rising over 17 since Monday. and the lake should continue to benefit from the recent rains for another few days. The Texas Water Development Board reported Medina Lake at approximately 9% full, with about 22,970 acre-feet of water in storage as of Thursday morning.
The Lake Right Now
The lake remains only about 9% full.
It remains approximately 73 feet below the conservation pool.
At approximately 9 p.m. Wednesday, the Medina River above English Crossing near Pipe Creek was flowing at roughly 3,140 cubic feet per second, up dramatically from the very low flows observed before the heavy-rain event. Farther upstream, the Medina River at Bandera had already climbed into significant flooding.
What happens next?
Medina Lake will likely continue rising as the existing floodwater works downstream. The increase may continue for more than a day after the heaviest rain ends because runoff from the upper watershed takes time to reach the reservoir.
The lake’s rise is welcome news after years of drought and extremely low water levels, but it is too early to characterize this event as a full recovery. At approximately 9% capacity, Medina Lake would need a far greater and more prolonged increase in storage to approach normal conservation levels.
Bottom line
Medina Lake is receiving a potentially significant recharge event, and the lake should continue rising as floodwaters move through the upper Medina River basin.