Inks Lake has dropped several feet since the Lower Colorado River Authority began its drawdown Oct. 1. By Thursday, Oct. 9, the lake will be down 8 feet until it is refilled in late November.
On Sept. 9, the LCRA announced it would lower Inks Lake so shoreside property owners could perform maintenance on their docks, retaining walls, and other infrastructure as well as dredge and remove debris. Burning debris in the lakebed is not allowed.
The lake will be lowered a foot a day through Thursday and be refilled Nov. 24-28.
Inks Lake State Park will not rent watercraft during the drawdown as its ramps, docks, and piers will be unusable.
The LCRA has not lowered Inks Lake since 2020. The authority does not have plans to draw down any of the other Highland Lakes in the near future, but a decision could be made next fall.
Property owners must register with the LCRA before conducting debris removal, dredging, or shoreline improvements to retaining walls, boat slips, and boat launches.
Inks Lake is being lowered over eight days, rather than all at once, to give the aquatic ecosystem time to adjust to the changing water level and reduce the risk of erosion.
The target drawdown level is 879 to 879.5 feet above mean sea level. About 5,000 acre-feet of water will be released from Inks, which will be refilled by water from Lake Buchanan in November. This will have a minimal impact on Buchanan’s overall level, amounting to around a 3-inch drop without any future rainfall.
Learn more about the Inks Lake drawdown on the LCRA website or contact LCRA Water Quality Protection at 512-578-2324 or hldo@lcra.org.
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Ann Stevenson (center) helped Kora Mack Stinson (left) call bingo during the Highland Lakes Democratic Women’s social at Bear King Brewing Co. in Marble Falls on Sept. 25. Seated next to Kora is her grandmother Michele Walker. The HLDW has two upcoming events in October, according to its website: a No Kings protest in partnership with other Democratic groups in Burnet County on the U.S. 281 bridge at 10 a.m. Oct. 18 and a monthly meeting at 1 p.m. Oct. 23 at La Quinta Inn, both in Marble Falls. Courtesy photo
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The Burnet County Republican Club holds a quarterly meeting Tuesday, Oct. 14, in the Burnet County AgriLife building, 607 N. Vandeveer St. in Burnet. The free event starts at 5:15 p.m. with a light supper followed by the meeting at 6 p.m.
Mary Jane Avery, the State Republican Executive Committee representative for Senate District 24, will review a voter guide for the Texas constitutional amendments on the November ballot.
For more information about the BCRC, visit its website. Club membership is $15 a year.
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Work started on 3,500 feet of new sidewalks along Marble Falls’ Pecan Valley Drive on Monday, Oct. 6. The grant-funded project is years in the making and should increase walkability in the neighborhood.
“There are residents walking in that street, and we want to find a safe way for them to get around,” Marble Falls City Engineer Jeff Prato told DailyTrib.com.
The $1.3 million project also consists of drainage improvements, new curbs and ramps, gutters, signage, striping, and lighting, and along Pecan Valley Drive. The road begins at Johnson Park and ends at Pecan Park.
Currently, there are no sidewalks along the road south of the bridge between the Trinity Street intersection and Alta Vista Apartments at 1001 Pecan Valley Drive. Once completed, the entire length of Pecan Valley Drive will have sidewalk access.
The sidewalk and accompanying upgrades could be finished within 77 days but might take longer depending on weather and any unforeseen circumstances. The terms of the contract, awarded to M&C Fonseca Construction Co. by the Marble Falls City Council in September, dictate the project be finished in 120 working days, at the longest.
The city does not expect full road closures, but construction could include flagging operations, short-term changes to driveway access, and lane reductions. Work will be done, by contractual agreement, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays only.
Eighty percent of the $1.3 million cost is being paid for through a Texas Transportation Commission grant awarded to Marble Falls in 2021. Since then, planning and design have been underway, leading to a groundbreaking on Monday.
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Agendas for Highland Lakes governments are posted 72 hours before a meeting so are not always ready by the time this story is published. Check the links for more information.
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Services and access to national parks and facilities in the Highland Lakes will be limited due to the federal government shutdown, which began Wednesday, Oct. 1, and has no quick end in sight.
Congressional lawmakers failed to meet a Wednesday deadline to approve government spending, triggering mass pauses on wages and funding for national agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the Balcones Canyonlands refuge and Inks Dam hatchery, and the National Park Service, which manages the LBJ historical park.
Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery in Burnet County is a popular hiking destination in the Highland Lakes. Services and access to the hatchery might be limited during the federal government shutdown. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The parks will have restricted communication abilities during the shutdown and might not respond to phone, email, or social media inquiries from the public.
“The National Park Service will continue to keep parks as accessible as possible during the lapse in (federal) appropriations,” reads a statement from the National Park Service in an emailed response to questions from DailyTrib.com. “For information about what is open, visit doi.gov/shutdown. Critical functions that protect life, property, and public health will remain in place, including visitor access in many locations, law enforcement, and emergency response.”
Balcones Canyonlands NWR
This scenic view is from the Doeskin Ranch trail system in the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, which lies at the intersection of Burnet, Travis, and Williamson counties. The refuge will remain open, but many of its public services limited, during the federal government shutdown. File photo
Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge is accessible to the public for the most part, but the refuge headquarters at 24518 RR 1431, just outside Marble Falls, will be closed until the shutdown ends.
The massive, free-access greenspace lies in Burnet, Travis, and Williamson counties and is a popular hiking destination and federally protected habitat for native wildlife and plants.
The refuge’s guided hike program will be paused until the shutdown is over, and the family-friendly Round Up event scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4, has been canceled.
The drawn hunts on the refuge in November and December will not be affected, and registered hunters should expect an email with details by the last week of October.
Visitors can still access the refuge’s free trail system at:
Warbler Vista, 21646½ RR 1431 in Lago Vista
Doeskin Ranch, 10645 FM 1174 in Bertram
Shin Oak Observation Deck, 1929 RM 1869 in Bertram
Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery
“Because of the federal government shutdown, FWS.gov is not being updated and the agency will not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted,” reads a notice on the official site for Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery.
Information about the shutdown’s impact on the hatchery is minimal, but it should remain open.
LBJ National Historical Park
LBJ National Historical Park, located between Stonewall and Johnson City, will be open to some extent during the shutdown, but the visitor center, gift shop, and any employee-run services might be limited or paused.
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Horseshoe Bay’s $12.2 million City Center is nearing its January 2026 completion date, with around 85 percent of the work done. The expanded facility for city operations also will serve as a recreational and community space for residents.
The project is funded through $10 million in general obligation bonds approved by voters in 2023 with the remaining $2.2 million balance drawn from city reserve funds accumulated over several years.
Horseshoe Bay officials said the 16,000-square-foot City Center, 9101 FM 2147 West, is a much-needed upgrade from the current City Hall. The old site of city business was built in the 1970s, a few decades before Horseshoe Bay incorporated, and is at capacity, forcing staff to work in repurposed closets, temporary buildings, and shared offices.
“The completion of the City Center Project will highlight our city’s 20th anniversary,” City Manager Jeff Koska told DailyTrib.com, referencing Horseshoe Bay’s official incorporation in September 2005. “This public facility will provide a community landmark where public engagement and management of public trusts and stewardship will continue for generations.”
In addition to housing city departments and services, the City Center will be a community gathering and outdoor recreation space. The facility sits on 10 acres, with six of those acres leased from the Lower Colorado River Authority for $1 over a 20-year period. That land will become an LCRA park, featuring a roughly one-mile walking trail, a memorial dog bridge where pet owners can honor deceased pets with their collars, two trail entrances, and a shared-use path that connects the east and west sides of the city. The center will have 65-70 parking spaces to accommodate its increased usage.
Horseshoe Bay leaders have been discussing expansion since 2020, but a viable solution did not emerge until land along FM 2147 was donated to the city. That paved the way for development of the City Center, which began with a groundbreaking in October 2023 and the start of construction in November 2024.
Horseshoe Bay City Center is geographically central to the city, bordered by Horseshoe Bay proper to the east, Horseshoe Bay West, Escondido to the north, and Summit Rock to the south.
Native, drought-resistant demonstration gardens will be added to promote sustainable landscaping, showcasing water-wise design and irrigation techniques that residents can replicate at home.
Design work was completed by Brown Reynolds Watford Architects of College Station. Braun and Butler Construction of Leander is managing the construction under a Construction Manager at Risk agreement with the city. The project also includes planned improvements to FM 2147 to help manage increased traffic in and out of Horseshoe Bay City Center.
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The Ophelia Hotel and Conference Center is on track for an October 2026 opening. The steel structure of the long-awaited project appeared on the Marble Falls horizon in August, and now the five-story hospitality hotspot is truly taking shape.
“It’s a project a decade in the making,” Christian Fletcher, executive director of the Marble Falls Economic Development Corp., told DailyTrib.com. “Everything is good. They’re on schedule and they’re on budget.”
This is the most up-to-date rendering of what The Ophelia will look like when completed. Phoenix Hospitality Group image
The Ophelia, named after the first woman mayor of Marble Falls, Ophelia “Birdie” Harwood, will be a 127-room, 96,000-square-foot boutique hotel with an attached 9,000-square-foot conference center and a public bar and restaurant. The hotel is going up at the corner of Main and Yett streets near Lakeside Park and downtown Marble Falls.
The project is a collaboration between the city of Marble Falls, the Marble Falls EDC, and developer Phoenix Hospitality Group, the latter of which will mostly handle the project’s management, funding, and buildout. The EDC did contribute $7.6 million in total value, including the land on which the hotel is being built.
That contribution is seen as an investment in the city by local leaders as The Ophelia is expected to have a $200-million economic impact on Marble Falls in its first 10 years of operation. The EDC, founded in 1991, is a standalone governing body, funded by a half-cent sales tax. That money can only be used to retain, expand, and attract businesses and industry to Marble Falls and foster the retention, creation, and reinvestment of wealth in the community.
The Ophelia Hotel and Conference Center is being built at the corner of Main and Yett streets, near Lakeside and Johnson parks and downtown Marble Falls. Google Maps image
A BRIEF TIMELINE
While the October 2026 completion date seems to be holding, the project’s timeline hasn’t always been easy to pin down. As Fletcher said, the city had an inkling of an idea to bring a nice hotel to Marble Falls over 10 years ago, but solid plans didn’t materialize until 2019.
The Ophelia Hotel and Conference Center takes shape at the corner of Main and Yett streets in downtown Marble Falls. The long-awaited project is on track for a predicted October 2026 opening date. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The project faced delays due to the COVID slowdown in 2020 and a series of changes in business partners. After the end of the pandemic shutdown, leaders thought the project could be done by early 2024. But this was not to be, and ground wasn’t broken until August 2024.
A spring 2026 finish date was announced at the groundbreaking, but construction was delayed again. Ultimately, work got underway in early 2025, and an October 2026 full buildout prediction was given.
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Horseshoe Bay is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its incorporation on the grounds of its future City Center. The free public event is Oct. 25 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at 9101 FM 2147 West.
This milestone-marking celebration for the Lake LBJ community features live music, food trucks, games, and local vendors. Enjoy lobster rolls, hamburgers, hot dogs, and shaved ice as well as wine and beer tastings while browsing Texas-made goods and services. Each of the 44 vendors will offer their own giveaway, and children can paint pumpkins and enter a mini-golf contest, among other activities. A citywide scavenger hunt is also planned.
A special presentation at 12:30 p.m. will honor the city of Horseshoe Bay’s past and present leaders and volunteers, recognizing two decades of community service and spirit.
On Sept. 10, 2005, the residents of Horseshoe Bay voted in favor of incorporation as a Class A City under Texas law. On Nov. 8 of that year, the city held its first general election, selecting Bob Lambert as mayor along with members of the City Council. The newly elected officials were sworn into office during a ceremony at Quail Point Lodge on Nov. 18, and the council held its first official meeting on Nov. 22, 2005.
“Horseshoe Bay is a unique lakeside hamlet, set apart by a unique community spirit–a place where friends support each other, newcomers are warmly welcomed, and residents enjoy a safe, healthy, and harmonious atmosphere,” City Manager Jeff Koska told DailyTrib.com in an emailed response to questions.
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