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Boat docks at Jones Brothers Park closed due to low water levels
At Jones Brothers Park in Jonestown, all boat docks are closed because the shoreline isn't safe. Only Boat Ramp No. 3 is open.
JONESTOWN, Texas - As the drought continues, water levels at local lakes continue to drop.
At Jones Brothers Park in Jonestown, all boat docks are closed because the shoreline isn't safe. Only Boat Ramp No. 3 is open.
Not a lot of people were at the lake Sunday afternoon.
"It’s definitely an advantage to have it to ourselves. We were just saying it’s quiet, we like to watch people put their boats on and off because it’s kind of fun, but being quiet, it's super nice, it's more relaxing," April Travis, who was at the lake, said.
According to the Lower Colorado River Authority, Lake Travis is at 645.84 ft. above mean sea level (msl).
A week ago, it was 646.94 ft. msl. A month ago, it was 649.78 ft. msl.
"We're going to continue into the La Niña pattern which is an overall drier than average pattern here in central Texas which unfortunately means the lake levels are probably going to continue to fall," Carlo Falco, Fox 7 Austin meteorologist, said.
The historical average for the month of August is 664.41 ft.
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"Lake levels basically are low because the outflow from the lake is lower than the inflow coming in from the surrounding area. That's all down to the drought," Falco said.
LCRA projects Lake Travis will drop another two feet in a week. Right now, the lake is only 53 percent full.
The city of Jonestown says Boat Ramp No. 3 will close if the lake hits 640 feet.
Falco says 2010 to 2016 was also a dry stretch.
"Definitely seen it lower, so I'm just glad we have water actually," Travis said.
"People are obviously going to have issues getting easy access to the lake," Falco said.
Spots with low water and brush can also be dangerous for boating.
"[The ramp is] probably about to not be open very soon, and it keeps the traffic down, so I'm not really worried about it," Travis said.