Rain hasn’t just fallen in the central basin. River and stream are running high downstream also. There’s no way the LCRA can please everyone. People were informed that Travis and Buchanan were built for flood control and that the constant level lakes were there to pass that water thru also at what level the water might rise to. If they built within any of those flood plains, it’s their problem.
Other than that, this is an historic flood with historic results.
Travis and Buchanan were built for flood control
—
you are correct ..here is a video about the 1991 floods..and how they had to hold back and let Travis flood before they opened 4 gates because of massive rain/flooding downstream...but it’s not as near bad now dowstream...and opening another gate or to now would reduce the risk of overtopping the spillway and/or 8 or more gates open later
another 1 or 2 gates would only cause relatively few problems compared to the risk they are taking IMO
LCRA video “The Flood of 1991”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJWmkbH-nOQ
10pm lake now at 703 ft
although no PR’s about it,.... outflows from lake Buchanan are decreasing down to 49K from 54K. this combined with the lack of new heavy rainfall rainfall have allowed inflow from the dams to lake Travis to fall to 57K from 67K earlier in the day
This is slowing the rise of the lake the past few hours slightly ..with outlaw still study around 26K
but still a a pace of a foot every 9 hours. therefore the lake should be around 704 ft or so at 7am
light to moderate rain has dumped about a quarter inch of rain so far over the western portion of the basin this evening
although short term models are not showing it..the NWS still expects heavy rain to increase over night into Friday
a wildcard is also how much rain falls downstream in the skinny (width wise ) basin blow Austin.. heavy rain would cause more inflow on the lower Clorado river complicating any change in releases from Travis