PHOTOS: Highland Lakes during and after the flood
The Llano River crested at 17.2 feet at the Llano city dam at around 2 a.m. July 24. This is the 11th-highest river level at that location since data collection began in the 1950s. This photo was taken at the dam at around midnight Wednesday when the river was at 15.4 feet. Staff photos by Dakota Morrissiey
Highland Lakes waters have mostly returned to normal after heavy flooding of the Llano River on July 24 washed large amounts of debris and mud downstream. Lake LBJ took the brunt, and floodgates at Max Starcke Dam had to be opened to regulate the level of Lake Marble Falls.
Lake LBJ
The Lower Colorado River Authority opened Wirtz Dam floodgates and lowered the level of Lake LBJ by about one foot between July 23 and July 24 to accommodate a flooded Llano River.
The lake, which normally appears stagnant, could be seen flowing throughout the morning of July 24. Debris, mud, and foam was pushed downstream toward Wirtz Dam.
The difference in water coloration can be seen in the photos above.
The Llano River
The Llano River is still flowing strong by August standards. Water is moving over the Llano city dam at 200 cubic-feet per second as of Aug. 6.
The river had ceased to flow at Llano County Road 307, better known as the Kingsland Slab Road, in August 2023, but it is currently flowing just below the surface of the river crossing.
The Kingsland Slab Road was shut down from July 23-29 to accommodate the river flooding.
Lake Marble Falls
Max Starcke Dam floodgates were opened on July 23 due to the flood, sending over 24 billion gallons of water into Lake Travis.
The level of Lake Marble Falls rose by about 0.64 feet during the flood, but this was closely regulated by the LCRA through floodgate operations.
The lake’s clarity has mostly returned to normal and boaters are back on the water.
2 thoughts on “PHOTOS: Highland Lakes during and after the flood”
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Those are terrific before and after photographs – thank you for the great reporting.
It is so helpful to view these happenings in your newspaper. Even though we live in the area touched by the two rivers, the events are so short lived that we rarely get a chance to see them firsthand before the river flooding events are over and everything is back to normal. Viewing them in print gives us a realistic concept of the river events as they actually happen!