The incessant rain

We have gotten tons of rain recently. Kinda nice not to have to worry about watering anything, and the snapdragons I planted around the Indian Hawthorne are starting to come back. They looked like they weren't going to make it shortly after planting, but they've perked back up. I think we got six inches of rain on Wednesday alone. Looks like no end in sight, so we might be taking a boat to the airport for Thanksgiving.

Interesting because of our proximity to the LCRA lakes. Lake Travis is the big one on the north side of town, Austin is the skinny, but really nice one that runs through the really expensive parts of town, and Town Lake is the cesspool that runs through downtown (where I had to swim coincidentally for a triathlon in May).

All three are dammed up parts of the Colorado River and are managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority. There are a number of other lakes north and south of Austin, but those three previously mentioned are the primary here in Austin.

Anyhow, with all the rain, Travis is nearing capacity. Travis is a little different in that it is not just a part of the Colorado, but is also the nexis of the Llano and Pedernales rivers. WIth the widespread rain recently, it is filling up from all sides. The Mansfield Dam tops out at 715 feet. Last I heard, we were at 693 feet and rising. They have had all six open in the past because they fear for the integrity of the dam when it starts coming over the spillway. If Mansfield goes, Austin is likely under water.

They have opened four of the six flood gates so far, and are moving some pretty serious volume through it. The tricky part about that is that Lake Austin is a constant-level lake, with very little ability to withstand fluctuations in shoreline depth. The dam at the south end of Lake Austin is only about five feet above the usual water level. When that floods, lots of really expensive homes are in real trouble. Town Lake leaves a little more margin for error, but still can't flood too much, or last time they had all six gates open, Lake Austin and Town Lake flooded dramatically.

So, they have to open up the dam with cracker-jack timing in order to keep the lower lakes level. Should be fun to watch over the next few days as the rain continues. I'm going to see if I can't talk Darlene into coming with me to have a look at the dam. A big bridge goes right over the river at the dam and is a good (and safe) place to watch the water churn underneath.

It sounds like the Arizona branch of the Colorado has also seen its share of rain recently and they are talking about releasing a big rush of water from Glen Canyon to rebuild some of the sandbars to protect a bunch of endangered species. A wet one!