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Diminished lake levels in Austin have caused problems for boat renters of what is expected to be a busy Memorial Day weekend.
Lake levels at locations across Austin and Central Texas are in various stages of flow, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Dashboard. Most water sources around Austin appear to be at normal or steady levels, though some, including sections of the Colorado and Blanco rivers, are measuring much below normal for this time of year.
Effects of decreased lake levels have been felt by Jacob Williams, owner of ATX Boat Rentals. The company normally operates on Lake Austin and Lake Travis, and it typically allows guests to board its boats at the Mansfield Dam Park Boat Ramp.
More: Here are 10 most popular boating locations in Texas and rules to follow
However, the ramp has been closed since September 2023 due to low water levels, according to the Travis County Parks Department. That has forced Williams, his company and his customers to pivot ahead of Memorial Day.
“It’s forced us to move everything,” Williams said. “We have to tow boats now over to Lake Austin all the time instead of just going to my house (and) hopping on boats that are already in the water.”
Lake Travis is about 48 feet below its normal level, according to Go Lake Travis, an informational site. That’s much lower than its level at this time in 2022 and 2023, according to LakesOnline.com.
With water levels down in some lakes and rivers across Central Texas, it’s important to know how much water you need to safely operate a boat. A variety of factors go into determining whether a body of water is deep enough to operate a boat in, but the biggest things to pay attention to are your boat’s weight and the shape of its hull.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure any body of water you’re boating on has at least one foot of water in it, according to BoatPowered.com. Even then, boaters should use depth monitors to ensure the water they’re in is deeper than that to avoid problems.
Williams said having to switch around logistical operations hasn’t had a major effect on his business, but with more people being forced to use fewer lakes to rent and drive their boats, some of the lake options are becoming clogged.
“When nobody can get their boats on Lake Travis, it causes Lake Austin to be more and more packed,” Williams said. “Lake Austin will always be an option, but it’s not fun being on a smaller lake that’s extra packed.”
The city of Austin is enforcing its annual ban this Memorial Day weekend on the use of personal watercraft, wet bikes, motorized surfboards, and similar devices on Lake Austin. Kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and other non-motorized devices are still allowed.
No plans for Memorial Day? Here are 5 things to do around Austin over the holiday weekend
A record 3.6 million Texans are expected to travel for Memorial Day, signaling a possible boon for tourism activities in the Lone Star State. That aligns with ATX Boat Rentals’ busy season, which typically begins around May and extends into September, Williams said.
That figure, coupled with Texas having more square miles of inland waterways than any other state and nearly 560,000 registered boats, means the state’s waterways are likely to be packed for the long weekend.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is warning boaters of potential hazards on waterways. A year ago, the state saw 13 boating accidents during Memorial Day weekend, resulting in two boating fatalities and two drownings.
To avoid those types of accidents, the department is reminding boaters to operate at safe speeds and keep an eye out for low water areas and submerged objects, among other things.
Not really, but some parts of Central Texas are. Eastern parts of the county are not experiencing any drought conditions, and the western half is mostly experiencing abnormal to severe dry conditions.
Counties northwest of San Antonio are experiencing an extreme drought, the worst drought level in the state.
To check your county’s drought stage, check out the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Rents nationwide have cooled from historic highs, according to the latest inflation figures. Austin, Texas, is one of the places where rents are showing a downward trend, but lower-income families say their rents are often staying the same or even increasing. Blair Waltman-Alexin of Austin PBS reports.
Elon Musk’s tunneling company, The Boring company is destroying Texas’ natural beauty and has worsened the life quality of rural Texans, according to Bastrop residents, where the company is located.
“It is beyond heartbreaking, I could start crying just talking about it,” Flynn, 62, a Bastrop resident, told The London Times. “We had these incredible vistas of outstanding natural beauty. It was breathtaking — you’d pull over and cry because it’s so pretty. And now, it’s gravel mines.”
Boring moved to Bastrop in 2021, the town has about 12,000 people and is located east of Austin.
According to Flynn and her husband, since Boring arrived, the landscape has worsened, with trucks operating everywhere, earth mounds scattered in the fields, heavy machines, and new gravel and sand mines erected to support the company’s operations.
Also, there have been numerous environmental concerns about the company’s operation, the company has applied for a permit to dump 145,500 gallons of treated wastewater per day into the Colorado River. The company has also received complaints regarding its handling of wastewater in the area.
Other residents have expressed concern over the rising cost of living produced by the arrival of more Austin newcomers.
“[T]he Austin people are now having to move to Bastrop, the people in Bastrop are having to move out in the country somewhere,” Kenneth Kesselus, the town’s former mayor, told the Times. “We’ve got some houses that in a giant hurry went from half a million dollars to a million.”
However, Flynn hopes that there still will be people who fight to preserve the environment.
“I have three children and don’t want them to think it’s all over,” Flynn said. “I’m a big believer in the pendulum swinging back, and right now we’re in an extreme time of bullying and bad behavior and bad decisions and greed. But it’s going to swing back.”
Flynn owns a farm in Bastrop and an organic site in Austin.
Anybody with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the APD Homicide tip line at 512-974-8477. This marks Austin’s 27th homicide of 2024.
Originally published on mytexasdaily.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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