Lake Buchanan hits highest water levels in 20 years after holiday floods

Located in Burnet and Llano counties west of the city of Burnet, Lake Buchanan has a maximum depth of 132 feet. On Wednesday, July 16, Lake Buchanan’s water level reached 1,020 feet for the first time since March 2005, KXAN reported The milestone came just days after the LCRA signed off on opening several floodgates at the Buchanan Dam, which marked the first operations of its kind since May 2019.

Intel from Water Data for Texas classified Lake Buchanan as 99.8% full on Thursday, July 17, with a mean water level of 1,019.93 feet.

For perspective, the lake levels were recorded at 99.59 feet three months ago on April 17, 1,002.79 feet six months ago on January 17 and 1,007.41 feet a year ago on July 17, 2024. Elsewhere in the Highland Lakes system, the LCRA reported Lake Travis’ water levels were at 673.63 feet on Thursday, compared to an average July water level of 666.39 feet.

Alongside historic water levels and floodgate operations at Buchanan Dam, the LCRA also issued openings of floodgates at the Wirtz and Starcke dams, which feed into lakes LBJ and Marble Falls.

While Texans and visitors can swim in Lake Buchanan, the LCRA issued an advisory on Monday, July 14, asking people to remain off the Highland Lakes over the next several days due to continuous rainfall and flood debris in the region, which have also spurred not only stronger water flows, but also excess bacteria and debris in area lakes.

“We Texans love being on the lakes during the summer, but this is not the time and not the place,” John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of Water, said in a Monday statement. “There continue to be significant flood flows throughout the Highland Lakes, and we strongly advise everyone to stay off the lakes for the next few days.”

Lake Buchanan is well regarded for its outdoor recreation, including its fishing opportunities, with largemouth bass, white bass, striped bass and catfish predominant species found in the waterway, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Visitors can also enjoy water sports like wakeboarding and waterskiing, along with paddleboarding and kayaking. There are also several area RV and cabin resorts, campgrounds and state parks surrounding the lake for visitors to enjoy.