Lake Travis

Highland Lakes water levels

All six lakes on the Colorado River above Austin, upstream to downstream: Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, Travis and Austin. Levels come from LCRA’s report on each dam.

Levels now

Newest LCRA dam reading Nov 14, 5:50 PM CST.

Lake Travis is read from its own gauge; the other five from LCRA’s report on each dam. Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis are measured against full pool, the four pass-through lakes against the narrow range LCRA holds them in.

The lakes drawn to scale

Colorado RiverLady Bird Lake
Drawn to scale · Select a lake for details
  • Normal

Lake Travis · Mansfield Dam

Gates closed
Lake level · live gauge
681.4 ft0.4 ft above full pool
Below the dam
494.2 ft

How the chain works

Six dams step the Colorado River down through the Texas Hill Country northwest of Austin. Two of the lakes they hold back, Lake Buchanan at the top of the chain and Lake Travis near the bottom, are water-supply reservoirs: they store water through wet years for drought, so their levels rise and fall by tens of feet.

The other four, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls and Lake Austin, are pass-through lakes. LCRA holds each within about a foot of the same level and sends on whatever comes in, which is why Lake LBJ looks full in the same drought that leaves Lake Travis’s boat ramps high and dry.

Water released from Lake Buchanan flows through Inks Lake, Lake LBJ and Lake Marble Falls into Lake Travis. The Llano River joins at Lake LBJ and the Pedernales at Lake Travis. Below Mansfield Dam, Lake Austin carries the river into the city, and Tom Miller Dam releases it into Lady Bird Lake.

Key facts

  • Lakes and damsSix of each
  • Storage lakesBuchanan and Travis
  • Pass-through lakesInks, LBJ, Marble Falls, Austin
  • Dams finished1938 to 1951
  • End to endAbout 146 river miles
  • Drop, top to bottomAbout 528 ft
  • OperatorLCRA

Highland Lakes questions

What the six lakes are, who runs them and why their levels behave so differently.

  • What are the Highland Lakes?

    Six lakes on the Colorado River northwest of Austin, held back by six dams that LCRA operates. Upstream to downstream: Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Travis and Lake Austin. The dams were finished between 1938 and 1951.

  • Which Highland Lakes store water?

    Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis. They are the region’s water-supply reservoirs, and LCRA reports their combined storage. Their levels rise in wet years and fall in drought.

  • Are any of the Highland Lakes constant-level?

    Not strictly. LCRA calls Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls and Lake Austin pass-through lakes: each is held within a range a foot wide or less and has no extra room to store floodwater, so it passes on what comes in. Their levels can still change, especially in floods and planned lowerings.

  • Why is Lake LBJ full when Lake Travis is low?

    Only Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis store water for drought. LCRA keeps the four pass-through lakes in their narrow ranges and sends the rest downstream, so a dry spell lowers Buchanan and Travis while LBJ, Inks, Marble Falls and Austin stay put.

  • Is Lady Bird Lake one of the Highland Lakes?

    No. Lady Bird Lake is the stretch of the Colorado through downtown Austin, below Tom Miller Dam. LCRA’s six Highland Lakes end at Lake Austin.

  • How often do these levels update?

    LCRA reports each lake’s level from its dam through the day, and this site checks for new readings every 30 minutes. Each reading on the page carries its own time.