August 25 Aquifer Update

Drought Stage: Alarm Stage II

Lovelady: 189.8 ft depth to water
Barton Springs: 22.9 cfs 10-day average

We anticipate entering into Critical Stage III Drought in mid September.

2nd Worse Drought on Record!

Read an AP article on the official declaration as Texas' 2nd worse drought on record. Click here.

Click here for an article from the NY Times.

Very good photos of the Drought from around the southwestern US and a few of our very own Lake Travis. Click here.

Critical Stage III Drought predicted for September

Current water levels and springflows are on track to cross their Critical Stage III drought thresholds in September unless we receive substantial rainfall.

Click on image below to enlarge.

August Aquifer Update

Aquifer Status: Alarm Stage II
Lovelady (depth to water): 188.8 ft
Barton Springs: 24 cfs (24.8 cfs 10-day avg)**

**note this may be slightly over-estimated by 1-2 cfs. Manual measurements and correlations to Barton Springs from the Lovelady suggest today's daily average is likely about 22 cfs.

Historic data and projections of the decline in both Lovelady and Barton Springs suggest we will enter into Critical Stage III in early to mid September.

Recent Drought Articles

Articles on the drought abound. Here are a few links to article:

Austin American Statesman article about Central Texas Rivers

A link to articles from the Austin American Statesman prior to Aug 3

Texas Tribune/NY Times


Click here for a very good recent summary of the Drought from TAMU:

"Among the other rainfall records set this month: least year-to-date precipitation (6.53 inches; historical average 16.03 inches; previous record 9.36 inches in 1917); driest consecutive 8, 9 and 10 months on record (7.25 inches 8.35 inches, and 9.17 inches respectively); and driest 12 months ending in July (15.16 inches, previous record 16.46 inches in 1925).

“These statistics rank the current drought as the most severe one-year drought ever for Texas,” Nielsen-Gammon explains. “Never before has so little rain been recorded prior to and during the primary growing season for crops, plants and warm-season grasses.”

....

“The outlook is not entirely grim,” he reports. “Late August and September bring increased chances of widespread rain from tropical disturbances, as well as the occasional cold front. Some computer models predict a return to La Niña conditions this winter, which would imply continued dry weather, but most predict neutral conditions in the tropical Pacific and the possible return of normal weather patterns.”