Austin Lakes Closed for July 4th Celebrations
Many residents are upset that Austin area lakes are going to be closed for the 4th of July. Due to continued high water from the recent Hill Country floods, most of the lakes in the area are closed, making the holiday much less festive for the thousands who usually crowd the lakes during the annual Independence Day celebration. The LCRA announced the ban on recreational boating on Lake Travis is likely to continue through July 4th holiday for safety concerns due to recent record rainfall.
Lakes that will probably remain closed through the 4th include:
- Inks Lake
- Lakes Travis
- Lake Marble Falls
- Lake LBJ
- Lake Austin
- Town Lake
- the Colorado River below the Longhorn Dam
The lake closures will probably remain in effect as long as the area dam floodgates remain open. Most dams currently have three to four floodgates open to help control lake levels. The City of Austin and LCRA websites offer more details on the lake closures. The boating ban is evaluated daily, and may change, so visit those websites for more up-to-date information.
Lake Buchanan is the only Highland lake to remain open to recreational boating, but boaters should take extreme caution to avoid flood debris, much of which is floating invisible just below the surface.
Many local busineses will be impacted by the lake closures. KVUE reports that Carlos and Charlie’s had to cancel their concert with 10,000 Maniacs, and that one employee said they only plan to do 40% of the business they usually do on July 4th.
