No Drought
Lovelady well height: 537 ft-msl (116 ft-Depth to Water)
Barton Springs: approximately: 107 cfs (10-day average)
The water
level in the Lovelady monitor well has risen to surpass the 3rd
highest peak recorded in 2003 (536.0 ft-msl or 117.4 ft-dtw). It is expected
that the water level will continue to rise while recharge creeks continue to
flow. A combined 14 inches of rain in May and June has provided tremendous
recharge. The District's recharge enhancement facility, Antioch, in Onion Creek
is currently taking recharge. The City of Austin staff report that Onion
Creek features on the Water Quality Protection Lands are also receiving
recharge.
The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that we’ll remain in an El Nino
advisory through the summer, bringing “cooler-than-normal” and
“wetter-than-normal” conditions.
Lovelady water levels would have to
climb another 9 feet to pass 2016’s 2nd highest peak (545
ft-msl) and 11.3 ft to pass 1992’s 1st highest peak. While water levels in the
Edwards Aquifer are currently at record highs, the hydrograph period of record
shows that drought will eventually return. Water conservation now helps extend
the period of time out of drought and preserve water storage.
