A Glimpse of the Severe Central Texas Drought

It wasn't until a few weeks ago when I hosted several out of state guests that I realized that unless you live in or have visited the Austin area (or Texas for that matter) you may not be fully aware of the severity of the Texas drought, especially if you haven't visited the area since October 2010.

Here is a Aerial Video of Lake Travis taken just a few days ago.  The island in the middle of Lake Travis normally does not exist.  The homes along Point Venture at Lake Travis towards the end of the video were once able to lay claim to waterfront property, but that's a hard claim to swallow today.  

As of September 6, all City of Austin residents and businesses are required to adhere to a Stage 2 Watering Schedule.  On September 19, all public boat ramps on Lake Travis were closed.  The City of Austin will pay residents to let their St Augustine grass die.  Soon, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), who oversees the Central Texas chain of lakes, will eventually cut off or reduce water to downstream farmers.  This could potentially wreck more havoc in the state.  It is predicted that both Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis will lose one foot of water each week during the month of October.   Water flowing into the Highland Lakes (that includes Lake Travis), has reduced by more than 90% below average.

There is rain in the fall forecast, but not enough to deal with the magnitude of a drought we have on our hands.  I think someone should invent a water hose that could reach to multiple states so those states with a surplus of water could share.  However, I know that is a stretch.  So for now, I'll just pray for rain.