Lake Austin Ran Out of Months for a Drawdown

At 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, LCRA's gauge put Lake Austin at 492.03 feet above mean sea level. The agency's flood report expected the lake to stay within its normal operating range, with no flood operations anticipated. Under the original plan, the lake would have been dropping by no more than about a foot a day since Oct. 12. LCRA estimated it could take about three weeks to reach a lowered range of 481.8 to 482.8 feet, roughly 10 feet down, with refilling set to start Nov. 24.

That drawdown is off. The City of Austin canceled it on Sept. 24, and the reason matters more than the headline. The City and LCRA weighed three separate windows in 2026, and each one ran into a different part of the lake's year. Lake Austin is now in use, or held in reserve, in every season, and that is why the water stayed up this fall.

Three Windows, Three Conflicts

The City's cancellation memo sets out how each option failed.

The fall window would have cut into peak event bookings on the water. Before the cancellation, John Wolters, a captain with Austin Riverboats, told KVUE the company had canceled six weddings scheduled during the planned drawdown and that the dates overlapped with Formula 1 weekend. "January and February, that's one thing," he said. "But for us to not use this in October and November, that is a solid six figures."

LCRA's compromise of Dec. 1 through Jan. 15 moved the conflict to the holidays. In KVUE's follow-up coverage, Mozart's owner Ken Leonard said that window would overlap with the coffeehouse's Festival of Lights. He also said the group was confused about why LCRA would accept going into January but not a full January-to-February window.

Why Winter Stopped Being the Easy Answer

For decades, the coldest weeks were the obvious time to lower the lake. Lea Holubec of the Lake Austin Task Force told KVUE the lake "has been dropped 18 times since 1980" in that January-to-February window. The most recent drawdown happened in January and February 2017.

Grid planning changed that. According to the City, LCRA has advised that since Winter Storm Uri in 2021 it no longer lowers lakes in winter, so that the hydroelectric generators at the Highland Lakes dams stay available to support the Texas power grid during cold months. The season the lake once spared for maintenance now belongs to the grid.

That leaves a narrow set of choices. Spring and summer are the lake's busiest recreation months. Fall now carries weddings, football weekends and Formula 1. The early holidays carry light shows and seasonal business. Deep winter is held for power generation. When the City says no 2026 option "would not provide the appropriate balance," it is describing a calendar with no open space left in it.

What Stays Underwater

A drawdown is more than a chance to repair docks. The City's release says it gives property owners better access to docks, bulkheads, boat slips and other shoreline structures for maintenance and for removing sediment and debris. Holubec listed the reasons she thinks one is due:

"We have not had a drawdown since 2017, and it's well needed for doc repair, hydrilla and other concerns."

She said it to KVUE after the cancellation.

Hydrilla is the part with numbers attached. The City's June 2026 vegetation survey counted 575 acres of hydrilla and 75 acres of Eurasian watermilfoil. Hydrilla acreage was down from February, but the total footprint of invasive vegetation stayed about the same. In a July 20 memo, the City put combined invasive vegetation at 40.6% of the lake. Its target range for all aquatic vegetation, native plants included, is 10% to 30%.

The growth is not spread evenly. According to the June survey, the densest hydrilla sat in the upper five miles of the lake, from Mansfield Dam down toward Lake Austin Spa. The reach between Commons Ford and Emma Long had little, and Bee Creek Cove had more than before.

With the lake staying full, sterile grass carp are doing most of the work against hydrilla. The City stocked 2,790 of them near Tom Miller and Mansfield dams, as announced on May 1. The July memo said staff expected to consider another stocking this fall once a fall survey showed how the plants were growing. A City summary of a Sept. 8 stakeholder meeting said Texas Parks and Wildlife had a fall survey planned. The results of that survey are the next number to watch.

For dock owners, the special permit exemptions created for this drawdown are closed. The City has stopped accepting them, according to KVUE, and some projects that were already permitted may still go forward. The cancellation memo says the City received multiple permit requests and will work with each applicant on how to proceed or how to get a refund. The usual rules remain on the City's boat dock permitting page. Building on, under or next to Lake Austin may require review, and certain dock and bulkhead repairs need an approved site plan exemption or permit. This is general information, not legal advice. Owners planning shoreline work should confirm their situation with the City and their own professionals.

What the Full Lake Means Between Now and January

The holiday window LCRA proposed for the drawdown is the same window now booked with events on and beside the water:

• Mozart's Festival of Lights. The 16th annual show runs Nov. 21, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, at 3825 Lake Austin Blvd. Mozart's lists shows starting at 6 p.m. and running until 9 or 10 p.m., with times varying by night. The 2026 version promises more than 2 million lights, synchronized lights across the Main Building, the Archway and six more areas, including a new general admission viewing area, and a Broadway-style holiday revue. General admission is $7 through Nov. 20 and $8 starting Nov. 21.
• Lake Austin Lights cruises. Austin Rental Boats runs roughly 45-minute cruises from Hula Hut from Nov. 20 through Jan. 3. The listing describes two floating light tunnels and 20 lit boats, with nights and departure times varying and the last departure at 11 p.m.
• Emma Long Metropolitan Park. The park page confirms the drawdown is canceled and lists the park as open year-round from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with boat ramps and a designated beach-entry swimming area. A separate water utility project has shut off showers, sinks, fountains and hose bibs until Jan. 15, 2027. Portable toilets are on site, and construction noise is possible from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The City's Parks closures page still shows a boat ramp closure at Walsh Boat Landing and ramp and swimming closures at Emma Long and Commons Ford, all from Oct. 12 to Nov. 30. Each entry says it was last updated Aug. 20 and gives the drawdown as the reason. Those notices date from before the cancellation and conflict with the Emma Long page. If you plan to launch at Walsh or Commons Ford, check with Austin Parks and Recreation first.

When the Question Comes Back

LCRA's lake lowerings page says no pass-through lakes will be lowered in 2026. It also says the decision on Highland Lakes lowerings for 2027 will come in late summer 2027. If that holds, the earliest a decision could arrive is about when fall weddings, football and Formula 1 are once again the reasons against a fall date. The Lake Austin Task Force is still asking LCRA to consider January and February 2027. Assistant City Manager Mike Rogers said in the City's release that staff will keep evaluating "economic, operational, environmental and community considerations" and will stay in contact with LCRA and lake stakeholders. No drawdown is scheduled, and the special permit exemptions created for the 2026 drawdown are closed.

If you own on Lake Austin and want to know how a deferred drawdown affects shoreline upkeep, a dock project or your timing for a sale, Lewis Group works with waterfront properties on this lake regularly and can walk you through what applies to yours. Contact Us.