Lake Travis

{{About||the Central Texas high school|Lake Travis High School|all other uses|Lake Travis (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox body of water

| name = Lake Travis

| image = Lake Travis aerial 2018.jpg

| lake_type = Hydroelectric reservoir

| caption = Aerial view of Lake Travis in 2018

| alt = image of aerial view of Lake Travis taken in 2018

| location = Travis / Burnet counties, northwest of Austin, Texas

| basin_countries = United States

| coords = {{coord|30|23|31|N|97|54|24|W|region:US-TX_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}

| inflow = Colorado River

| outflow = Colorado River

| area = {{convert|18930|acre|abbr=on}}

| volume = {{convert|1130000|acre.ft|km3|abbr=on|lk=in}}

| shore = 270 mi (434 km)

| depth =

| max-depth = {{convert|210|ft|abbr=on}}

| elevation = {{convert|681|ft|abbr=on}}

| pushpin_map = Texas#USA

| pushpin_label_position =

| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Lake Travis in Texas, USA.

| pushpin_map_caption =

| website =

| reference =

}}

Image:Laketravisaerial.jpg

Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado River in central Texas in the United States. It is named in honor of William B. Travis.{{Cite web |last=Smyrl |first=Vivian |date=September 29, 2020 |title=Travis County |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/travis-county |access-date=May 30, 2023 |website=Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)}}

Serving principally as a flood-control reservoir, Lake Travis' historical minimum to maximum water height change is nearly 100 feet.{{Cite web|title=Historical Lake Levels {{!}} LCRA|url=https://www.lcra.org/water/highland-lakes-overview/historical-lake-levels/|access-date=2020-09-07|website=www.lcra.org}} Following the 2018 Llano River flood, Lake Travis saw a 20-foot depth increase within a single 24-hour period of time.{{Cite web|date=16–17 October 2018|title=Lake Travis Water Level|url=http://www.golaketravis.com/waterlevel/|access-date=18 October 2018|website=Go Lake Travis}} With 30 square miles of surface area, Lake Travis has the largest storage capacity of the seven reservoirs known as the Highland Lakes, and stretches 65 miles (105 km) upriver from western Travis County (near Lago Vista, Texas) in a highly serpentine course into southern Burnet County to Max Starcke Dam, southwest of the town of Marble Falls. Besides being used for flood control and as a water supply, the lake is also used for electrical power generation and recreation.

The Pedernales River, a major tributary of the Colorado River, flows into the lake from southwestern Travis County.

History

= Creation =

The reservoir was formed in 1942 by the construction of Mansfield Dam on the western edge of Austin, Texas by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), and was built specifically to contain floodwaters in a flash-flood prone region. During its construction, after a severe flood in July 1938, the height of the dam was raised to add storage capacity for floodwaters.{{cite web|title=Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis|url=http://www.lcra.org/water/dams-and-lakes/pages/mansfield-dam.aspx|website=www.lcra.org}}{{Cite web|title=Flood Operations Report|url=http://floodstatus.lcra.org/|website=Lower Colorado River Authority}}

= Ferry service =

Regularly scheduled ferry service between Point Venture and the south side of Hurst Creek began in April 1971, operated by Point Venture Development Co. The trip took 20 minutes and was the only inland ferry service in Texas at the time.{{Cite web|last=Dadamo|first=Amy Rae|date=2019-07-11|title=Historic Lake Travis ferry once transported residents, cars between communities|url=https://communityimpact.com/austin/lake-travis-westlake/history/2019/07/11/historic-lake-travis-ferry-once-transported-residents-cars-between-communities/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908210244/https://communityimpact.com/austin/lake-travis-westlake/history/2019/07/11/historic-lake-travis-ferry-once-transported-residents-cars-between-communities/|archive-date=September 8, 2020|access-date=2020-09-08|website=impact|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=The Story of Point Venture... Where Every Day's A Holiday|url=http://pointventure.com/history/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020171616/https://pointventure.com/history/index.html|archive-date=October 20, 2020|access-date=2020-09-08|website=pointventure.com}}

= September 2020 boat sinkings =

On September 5, 2020, a boat parade took place in support of Donald Trump. The Travis County Sheriff's office reported that they had received multiple calls involving boats in distress, and that several boats had sunk.{{cite web|date=5 September 2020|title=Multiple boats sink during Trump Boat Parade on Lake Travis|url=https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/multiple-boats-in-distress-sinking-at-trump-boat-parade-on-lake-travis|access-date=5 September 2020|publisher=CBS Austin}}{{Cite news |date=2020-09-06 |title=Lake Travis: Several boats sink at pro-Trump parade in Texas |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54045115 |access-date=2024-10-18 |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Paul P. |date=2020-09-07 |title=The wake of other boats in a pro-Trump parade in Texas caused 5 boats to sink, sheriff’s office says |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/07/us/trump-boat-parade-sink-trnd/index.html |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=CNN |language=en}} The weather was calm, but the boats generated significant wake as they began to move together, which subsequently sank at least five boats.{{Cite web|title=5 boats sink at Trump boat parade on Texas' Lake Travis|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-boat-parade-lake-travis-several-boats-sink/|access-date=2020-09-08|website=www.cbsnews.com|language=en-US}} The hashtag #dumbkirk trended on Twitter following the incident.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2020/09/06/lsquowersquore-gonna-need-bigger-votersquo-how-dumbkirk-swamped-internet/113871696/|title = 'We're gonna need a bigger vote': How #Dumbkirk swamped the internet}}

Recreational uses

Lake Travis is well known for its outdoor recreation opportunities, including fishing, boating, swimming, scuba diving, picnicking, camping, and zip lining.{{cite web |last1=Dembe |first1=Noah |title=Shaky Pale {{!}} Lake Travis Boat Rentals |url=http://shakypale.com |website=Shaky Pale Marine |access-date=19 March 2022 |language=en}} Hippie Hollow Park, located near the eastern end of Lake Travis, is the only legal clothing optional park in Texas. Lake Travis is generally considered one of the clearest lakes in Texas. It is a vital water supply for the nearby city of Austin, Texas and the surrounding metropolitan area.

=Fatality rankings=

In a ranking of Texas lakes by accidental fatalities, Lake Travis was in first place in 2011 and tied for second place for total deaths from 2000–2015....{{Cite web|last=SportsDayDFW.com|date=18 May 2013|title=Sasser: Boating safety is made simpler if you take these five steps...|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2013/05/19/sasser-boating-safety-is-made-simpler-if-you-take-these-five-steps/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022195945/https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2013/05/19/sasser-boating-safety-is-made-simpler-if-you-take-these-five-steps/|archive-date=22 October 2020|access-date=17 August 2016|website=The Dallas Morning News}}{{cite web |title=Lake Conroe deadliest for Texas boaters since 2000 |url=https://www.lubbockonline.com/article/20140804/NEWS/308049853?template=ampart |publisher=Associated. Press |access-date=19 August 2020}}

Six people drowned in Lake Travis in 2018, out of 29 total boating deaths reported across Texas that year.{{cite web |last1=Bradshaw |first1=Kelsey |title=Watch out for lurking hazards, unsafe boaters in Lake Travis, authorities warn |url=https://www.statesman.com/news/20190523/watch-out-for-lurking-hazards-unsafe-boaters-in-lake-travis-authorities-warn |publisher=The Statesman |access-date=21 October 2019}}

= Fish populations =

Lake Travis has been stocked with several species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Lake Travis include largemouth bass, guadalupe bass, white bass, striped bass, catfish and sunfish. Lake Travis is a popular fishing destination for anglers in Texas not only because of its stocked inventory but because of the convenient boating services and marinas in the area.

In spring 2008 there were several reports of leeches residing in Lake Travis. The leeches are generally harmless to humans but can be a nuisance.{{cite web |url=http://www.lcra.org/asklcra/AskLCRAAnswers.html?cat_id=481 |title=The Highland Lakes |access-date=2008-06-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080602173540/http://www.lcra.org/asklcra/AskLCRAAnswers.html?cat_id=481 |archive-date=2008-06-02 }}

Lake levels

File:pacebend.jpg

Lake Travis is considered "full" (at maximum desired capacity) when the lake's water level is at {{convert|681|ft|m}} above mean sea level (msl). Above {{convert|681|ft|m}}, flood control gates at Mansfield Dam are opened under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.{{cite web |title=Mansfield Dam Fact Sheet |url=https://www.lcra.org/download/fact-sheet-mansfield-dam-pdf-2/?wpdmdl=19722 |website=LCRA.org |access-date=20 September 2021}}

The level of the lake can vary dramatically—with an over 96-foot range between its historical high and low—depending on the amount of rainfall in the Colorado River basin upstream.{{Cite web|title=Lake Travis Water Level|url=http://www.golaketravis.com/waterlevel/|access-date=2020-09-07|website=www.golaketravis.com}} The historic high level on the lake was {{convert|710.4|ft|m}} above msl on December 25, 1991, a little less than four feet below the dam's top/spillway at {{convert|714|ft|m}} above msl. The historic low was {{convert|614.2|ft|m}} above msl on August 14, 1951.

=Droughts=

The extreme drought of 2008–2009 brought the lake to its fourth lowest level at {{convert|626.09|ft|m}} above msl in November 2009. The second lowest level was {{convert|615.02|ft|m}} above msl on November 8, 1963.The lake rose to 642.39 feet above msl as of October 25, 2009 due to significant rains in September and October 2009. This places the level at 24 feet below normal level for October. [http://www.lcra.org/water/conditions/river_report.html "River Report" LCRA.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705214216/http://www.lcra.org/water/conditions/river_report.html |date=2009-07-05 }} During the 2010–13 Southern United States drought, levels went as low as 618 feet, making it the third lowest level ever.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lcra.org/water/dams-and-lakes/|title=Lowest Lake Travis Elevations}} The LCRA, a public utility whose responsibilities include the management of Lake Travis, makes water level reports available on the internet.[http://hydromet.lcra.org/riverreport/report.aspx#current River Operations Report] In April 2016, the lake returned to its full capacity at 681 ft.

=Floods=

Lake Travis serves as the primary flood control reservoir of the Highland Lake chain. The LCRA, under advisement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is responsible for floodgate operations at Mansfield Dam. Ideally, this is done in a time-delayed fashion after a major rainfall so as to either mitigate or outright prevent downstream flooding which otherwise would have been both immediate and extreme without the dam's presence. As Lake Travis levels increase during major floods, floodgate operations are conducted to protect property around Lake Travis as well as the dam itself.

While the dam's physical design assists in its own protection during floods, extensive spillway operations, a worst-case scenario which has not happened in the lake's history, could undermine the dam's base and affect its overall integrity. Under such conditions, operations are primarily intended to protect the dam, and lake water may be released to the dam's full, 24-floodgate capacity—regardless of downstream effects—to prevent the catastrophic loss of the dam.{{Cite web|title=Key elevations for Lake Travis during floods {{!}} LCRA|url=https://www.lcra.org/water/floods/key-elevations-for-lake-travis-during-floods/|access-date=2020-09-07|website=www.lcra.org}} Including its hydroelectric generators but not the spillway, at 681 feet above msl the dam's total maximum discharge capacity is more than 130,000 cubic feet per second (cfs); a bit under one million gallons per second.{{Cite web|title=Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis|url=http://www.lcra.org/water/dams-and-lakes/pages/mansfield-dam.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160831225431/http://www.lcra.org/water/dams-and-lakes/pages/mansfield-dam.aspx|archive-date=31 August 2016|access-date=17 August 2016|website=Lower Colorado River Authority}} Rates of discharge increase as water levels/pressures increase.