AUSTIN, Texas — The city of Austin has canceled its planned Lake Austin water-level drawdown for 2026 after local businesses raised concerns about the economic impact during the fall wedding season and other major events.
Austin originally scheduled the drawdown from Oct. 12 through Nov. 30 and planned to lower the reservoir’s water level about 10 feet. Stakeholders requested the drawdown to provide access to docks and shoreline structures for maintenance and debris removal.
The project would have marked the first Lake Austin drawdown in nearly 10 years.
Austin Water and Austin Watershed Protection officials said the Lower Colorado River Authority offered Dec. 1 through Jan. 15 as an alternative period for the work.
Businesses also raised concerns about the potential effects on holiday activities and seasonal operations during that period, according to a Thursday memo to the Austin City Council.
Stakeholders then proposed moving the drawdown to January and February 2027, but officials rejected that option.
The LCRA previously conducted winter drawdowns but said it would stop the practice after the 2021 winter storm. The agency said the change would help ensure hydroelectric generators across the Highland Lakes could support the power grid during periods of high demand.
Austin officials said neither available 2026 option offered an appropriate balance between the operational benefits of lowering the lake and the potential effects on surrounding businesses and residents.
The city will not proceed with a Lake Austin drawdown in 2026.