From KXAN, January 9, 2009...
Central Texas drought continues. Local lakes are up to 14 feet below normal levels. The economy is struggling and people are cutting back on luxury items. A favorite warm weather activity, boating, is actually doing well.
Portions of Central Texas have seen only 25 to 50 percent of the normal amount of rain in 2008. According to the Lower Colorado River Authority , rain totals are running eight to 12 inches below normal. In the worst regions, rain totals are running between 12 and 20 inches below normal. As of Dec. 18, Lake Buchanan was about seven feet below the historic December average, while Lake Travis was about 13 feet below. Many boaters are not finding the lower lake levels a bother.
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Showing posts with label Boating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boating. Show all posts
Monday, January 19, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Hydrilla whipped, city won't lower Lake Austin this year
From statesman, January 8, 2009...
The pesky hydrilla plant that had threatened to choke Lake Austin with its snaky tendrils has retreated so much that the city has decided not to lower the lake this year, an official said.
At its peak, the pest, first documented in the lake in the late 1990s, dominated about 300 acres, said Mary Gilroy , an environmental scientist with the City of Austin. The plant now is confined to about 30 acres between Mansfield Dam and Mary Quinlan Park , she said.
"This is amazing," said Brandon Owens, who took his dog, a Jack Russell terrier named Rusty Shackleford, out for a boat ride Wednesday near the Tom Miller Dam. Last year there was so much hydrilla, it clogged the water around the docks at his boat rental business at Lake Austin Marina, Owens said. He said he used to get two to three calls per week from boaters whose propellers had become entangled. Now, the water is clear, and he doesn't get any calls, he said.
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The pesky hydrilla plant that had threatened to choke Lake Austin with its snaky tendrils has retreated so much that the city has decided not to lower the lake this year, an official said.
At its peak, the pest, first documented in the lake in the late 1990s, dominated about 300 acres, said Mary Gilroy , an environmental scientist with the City of Austin. The plant now is confined to about 30 acres between Mansfield Dam and Mary Quinlan Park , she said.
"This is amazing," said Brandon Owens, who took his dog, a Jack Russell terrier named Rusty Shackleford, out for a boat ride Wednesday near the Tom Miller Dam. Last year there was so much hydrilla, it clogged the water around the docks at his boat rental business at Lake Austin Marina, Owens said. He said he used to get two to three calls per week from boaters whose propellers had become entangled. Now, the water is clear, and he doesn't get any calls, he said.
Read more...
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