Lake Travis boat ramps closed due to low lake levels

4 out of 13 Lake Travis boat ramps open due to low lake levels

Lake Travis is just over 645 feet above mean sea level and projections show it'll likely drop another foot in a week. FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen has details.

LAKE TRAVIS, Texas - Only four out of 13 boat ramps at Lake Travis are open because of low lake levels.

Each ramp has its own minimum lake level.

"Everyone needs to pray for a tropical storm, bring Texas a little bit of rain," Drew Pickle, West District Parks Manager for Travis County Parks, said.

Lake Travis is just over 645 feet above mean sea level.

Projections show it'll likely drop another foot in a week.

Mansfield Dam, Bob Wentz at Windy Point, Tournament Point at Pace Bend, and Sandy Creek are open.

Arkansas Bend, Camp Creek Park, Cypress Creek, Gloster Bend, Jones Brothers, Muleshoe Bend, Narrows, and Collier and Tatum Coves are closed.

Lake levels falling fast as Texas drought continues

Still plenty of water in Lake Travis, but well below normal for this time of year.

The lake level has to be around 660 feet for those to open.

It can be dangerous to launch a boat because the concrete ramps can come out of the water.

"There's either a sudden drop off or it goes into a flat sandy bar, which makes it difficult to safely launch a boat," Pickle said.

Officials also say islands can pop up.

"[Boaters'] normal route may be impacted by the lower lake levels, and they need to be aware of those hazards," Pickle said.

Mansfield Dam is expected to stay open.

"We're one of the last boat ramps that will be in the water as the lake drops. We hope it doesn't continue to drop, he said.

Its minimum lake level is lower, only 633 feet.

Dropping water levels affecting emergency services on Central Texas lakes

In past drought years, ESD1 has docked at local marinas but on a temporary basis. Finding long term space now in deep water for the dock and boat is proving difficult.

"2012 was a pretty record year, and this was the last boat ramp still in the water, and we hope we can continue to serve the public as we go through the drought," Pickle said.

Lake Travis was built as storage reservoir.

"We're at 645 feet above mean sea level, this lake is at conservation pool at 681 feet, so we're down almost 40 feet, but that's what it was designed to do, and there's a lot of recreation still to be had, and a lot of great things to do on the lake," Pickle said.

Click here for boat ramp information and click here for more information on lake levels.