Canyon Lake drops to lowest level on record as drought persists
Canyon Lake has dropped to its lowest lake pool elevation ever recorded, according to data from the Texas Water Development Board.
SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Canyon Lake has dropped to its lowest lake pool elevation ever recorded, according to data from the Texas Water Development Board.
As of Sept. 1, the water level is at 892.38' above mean sea level. The previous record low was 892.70' on Sept. 8, 2009.
The lake is west of San Marcos and is the main water source for the city, along with the Edwards Aquifer and the San Marcos River, both of which are also seeing low levels.
"With all our water sources experiencing low levels, SMTX Utilities is taking extra steps to encourage water conservation in our community," Tyler Hjorth, the city's director of utilities, said. "Water conservation is a community effort, and we want everyone to get involved as extreme heat and drought conditions continue in our region."
San Marcos is currently in Stage 4 water restrictions, meaning customers can only use automatic irrigation once every other week.
In an effort to raise awareness for water conservation, the city is hosting a contest to encourage customers to reduce water waste.
Three SMTX Utilities water customers will have the chance to win a $100 water credit, a water monitoring system, a rain barrel or other giveaways by showing what they're doing to conserve water. Submissions will be accepted Sept. 4 through Sept. 15.
Submissions will be displayed on Facebook, and the three photos with the highest number of reactions will win.
Meanwhile, Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan are both at their lowest levels in several years. The water level on Lake Travis dropped to 632.02' on Friday, the lowest since May 2015.
Lake Buchanan is currently at 994.49', also the lowest since May 2015.
The majority of public boat ramps on Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan have been forced to close due to the low water levels. As of Friday, only one ramp remains open on each lake.