LCRA: It’s OK to drive on dry lakebed; just don’t cause trouble
A photo of Lake Buchanan from August 2023 at the Llano County Park boat ramp shows trucks driving on the dry lakebed in the distance to access the receded shoreline. This practice is allowed by the LCRA as long as drivers are not impacting water quality or disturbing the peace. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The Lower Colorado River Authority is publicly clarifying its rules and regulations for driving on dry lakebeds, particularly at Lake Buchanan. While disturbing the peace or the environment is always prohibited, taking a vehicle onto an LCRA-owned lakebed is allowed at the authority’s discretion.
“We’ve heard a fair amount of chatter on social media that LCRA is changing its practices regarding driving in the lakebed, but that is not so,” said Tom Oney, LCRA’s executive vice president of External Affairs, in a March 24 media release. “We are continuing to use enforcement discretion, meaning that during the ongoing drought, our LCRA Rangers will not ticket vehicles for driving on LCRA land in the lakebed—as long as the vehicle is not impacting public safety or causing water quality issues, and the occupants are not disturbing the peace.”
Lake Buchanan is currently at 1,000.71 feet above mean sea level (msl), about 20 feet down from full, meaning the water is far from many access points and often only accessible by driving across the dry bed.
“We understand people are using vehicles to reach the lake when the lake level is low, and that’s OK as long as water quality and public safety are protected,” Oney said. “We don’t want to issue warnings or formal citations, but we will if we encounter repeat violators causing safety or water quality issues.”
Oney is referring to the ability of LCRA rangers to use their own discretion when deciding whether or not to issue citations. He explained that this has been the LCRA’s policy during past droughts.
“We want visitors to know the rules ahead of time,” he said. “This is not a new rule and not a change in our activity. This is a fact of life on the Highland Lakes.”
The river authority still warns against crossing private property lines when going in and out of the lakebed. The LCRA owns much of the lakebed below 1,020 feet msl, but most of the land surrounding Lake Buchanan is privately owned.