5 days ago
Texas Reservoir Map Shows How Water Levels Compare After Floods
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Many reservoirs and lakes in Central and Eastern Texas are near capacity two weeks after floods inundated the region over the Fourth of July weekend, state data shows.
Newsweek reached out to the Texas Water Development Board (TWBD) by email for comment.
Why It Matters
The Lone Star State has battled years of drought that have seen many of its popular reservoirs' water levels plunge to dangerously low levels. In 2023, water levels at Lake Travis became so low they revealed previously hidden pecan groves and a concrete plant.
Over Independence Day weekend, torrential rain battered Central Texas, prompting the swift and significant rise of area rivers that brought floods throughout the region that ultimately killed more than 100 people.
Nearly two weeks later, the water has worked its way into area lakes and reservoirs across the region.
Canyon Lake is seen in Texas Hill Country.
Canyon Lake is seen in Texas Hill Country.
Jacqueline Cooper/Getty
What To Know
As of Friday, Texas reservoirs are 80.5 percent full statewide. A map from Water Data for Texas shows dozens of reservoirs across the state and their current water levels.
Some of these bodies of water usually hover near or at full capacity, such as Whitney Lake and Grapevine Lake, both of which have not dipped below 99 percent full in the past year. Others, however, have exhibited a significant recovery over the past month.
For example, Brady Creek Reservoir in McCulloch County was only 30 percent full a month ago. Now, the reservoir is 100 percent full.
Much larger reservoirs, like Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis, also have undergone significant recovery. Lake Buchanan reached full capacity this week, prompting Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) officials to open the floodgates at Buchanan Dam for the first time since 2019 to release water from the reservoir. A month ago, Lake Buchanan was only at 61 percent capacity.
Lake Travis water levels have surged 36 feet since July 4, putting the lake at around 88 percent capacity, the highest it's been since spring of 2020. The lake is expected to continue rising to 675 feet over the next few days, an LCRA spokesperson told Newsweek, putting it only 6 feet below full capacity.
Despite the vast improvement in reservoirs across the central and eastern parts of the state, reservoirs in Northern and Southern Texas remain parched. Water Data for Texas shows Palo Duro Reservoir in far northern Texas is only 1.2 percent full. Medina Lake west of San Antonio is only 6 percent full, although the level is improved over this time last year, when it was only 2.2 percent full.
What People Are Saying
A Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) spokesperson told Newsweek: "Levels in Lake Buchanan, one of two water supply reservoirs in the Highland Lakes, will vary depending on a number of factors, including rainfall, evaporation levels and water use by LCRA water customers."
CBS Austin meteorologist Avery Tomasco in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday: "Texas droughts end in Texas floods. Two months ago -> today. Our ~5 year drought has been almost entirely erased."
Texas droughts end in Texas floods.
Two months ago -> today. Our ~5 year drought has been almost entirely erased #atxwx #txwx — Avery Tomasco (@averytomascowx) July 17, 2025
What Happens Next?
Some reservoirs in Texas are expected to continue rising as water releases, such as that from Lake Buchanan, flows downstream. Others, however, are more dependent on factors such as the weather and water usage throughout the summer.
