Refill of Lake Marble Falls begins Monday
AUSTIN (KXAN) — After the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) lowered Lake Marble Falls nearly seven feet in October 2022, they plan to begin refilling it beginning Monday, Jan. 16. The lake has been lowered for more than three months to allow for work on the intake structure at Starcke Dam.
For lakeside residents working/running maintenance on their personal docks or retaining walls, the LCRA is warning that all work equipment that is in the lakebed should be removed by Sunday.
The lake will be refilled with a combination of water released from Lake Buchanan that is sent downstream through Inks Lake and Lake LBJ, and water flowing into the Colorado River from tributaries into or upstream of Lake Marble Falls. The LCRA adds that this refill could potentially cause Lake Buchanan to fall a few inches.
The refill is expected to conclude by Thursday, Jan. 19.
According to the LCRA, they will continue moving water downstream through a partially open floodgate to meet routine water supply needs and manage the level of Lake Marble Falls for several weeks. Flows through the partially open floodgate will not exceed what is discharged through hydroelectric generation.
In the event of heavy, flooding rainfall here in Central Texas, the LCRA will notify the public and send alerts through their Flood Operations Notification Service. This would be done if they feel the need to pass down storm runoff through the opening of additional floodgates.
In-depth: What's in store for 2023
LCRA does not plan to lower any additional lowering pass-through lakes in the Highland Lakes chain in 2023. This includes lakes Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls and Austin. The next opportunity for a routine lake lowering will be in 2024.