Water on the Move: How the Highland Lakes System Is Managing Central Texas’s Latest Flood
The Colorado River doesn’t run free through Central Texas — it runs through a chain of six dams that the Lower Colorado River Authority uses to catch, hold, and carefully release floodwater.
This week, that whole system is being put to work at once.
LCRA announced it is opening at least two floodgates at Mansfield Dam today — one at 6 a.m. and another at 1 p.m. — the first time floodgates have opened there since 2019. That’s happening because Lake Travis climbed past 679 feet above mean sea level by Friday afternoon, pushing toward and then past its 681-foot “full” mark.
Once Lake Travis crosses that threshold, water starts filling its flood pool, and LCRA can release it downstream through Mansfield’s floodgates.
The dam chain is working from the top down.
Floodgates are already open at Wirtz and Starcke dams, and one floodgate opened Friday afternoon at Tom Miller Dam, downstream of Mansfield — clearing a path so Saturday’s Mansfield releases have somewhere to go.
Upstream, Wirtz Dam is pushing Lake LBJ’s water toward Lake Marble Falls, where Starcke Dam’s six open floodgates are sending it on toward the upper end of Lake Travis.
Not every lake in the chain works the same way.
Lakes Buchanan and Travis are water-supply reservoirs designed to fluctuate and hold real flood storage — Travis alone has room for another 776,000 acre-feet above its conservation pool. The other four lakes — Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, and Austin — are “pass-through” lakes with no flood storage, so water moves through them quickly on its way downstream.
LCRA operates Mansfield Dam under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers protocols, which cap releases based on how full the flood pool is and how high the river can safely run at three downstream control points — meaning every floodgate opening is a calculated trade-off, not just a valve turned on.
Regardless, officials continue urging residents to stay off flooded roads and away from river crossings while the system works through the surge.
Sources:
- LCRA, “LCRA to begin floodgate operations at Mansfield Dam”
- LCRA, Flood Operations
- LCRA, Mansfield Dam Flood Operations / Key Elevations
- KUT, “Mansfield Dam floodgates to open Saturday for first time since 2019”
- Daily Trib, “Highland Lakes flooding; more on the way”
- KXAN, Live flood updates
Texas Hill Country Flooding: Where Things Stand Now
After three punishing days of rain, the Texas Hill Country is finally catching its breath — though rivers across the region are still working through the deluge.
(Episode from July 17, 2026)
How We Got Here
Storms that began rolling through South Central Texas on Tuesday dumped staggering amounts of rain over the next several days.
Here are the highest rainfall totals since Monday:
- 28.23 inches in Knippa (Uvalde County)
- 27.26 inches in Uvalde (Uvalde County)
- 25.36 inches in Ingram (Kerr County)
- 20.65 inches in Kerrville (Kerr County)
- 20.45 inches in Concan (Uvalde County)
More than 20 inches of rain fell in the Kerrville area over just two days, including at least 8 inches in a single two-hour overnight stretch. The Guadalupe River crested at nearly 38 feet in Center Point on Thursday morning, prompting the National Weather Service to issue rare flash flood emergencies for Kerr and Gillespie counties along the Guadalupe and Pedernales rivers.
At least two deaths have been confirmed, one in Comfort.
Officials also reported that an Uvalde County bridge on FM 481 collapsed under the floodwaters.
The Guadalupe: Receding, But Not Forgotten
The good news out of Kerrville: by Friday morning the rain had slowed and the Guadalupe was receding, running roughly 12 to 15 feet lower than it had been a day earlier. Kerr County officials said Friday there were no reports of anyone missing from this week’s flooding — a sharp contrast to last year’s catastrophe. All children’s summer camps in Kerr County confirmed their campers were safe, and first responders cleared roughly 50 homes in flood-prone areas.
The Llano: The Slower-Moving Story
While the Guadalupe eased, the Llano River told a different story overnight.
The Llano was expected to crest at major flood stage near Mason around 11 p.m. Friday, topping 31 feet, and again near the town of Llano around 3 a.m. Saturday at roughly 25 feet.
Downstream, the Lower Colorado River Authority projected the river would rise about 25 feet above normal at the Llano Dam by 1 a.m. Saturday — enough to flood low-lying property, though officials said homes throughout Llano County were expected to stay safe from the water.
As of Friday evening, city leaders in Llano said they weren’t anticipating major flooding or evacuations there, closing riverside parks to vehicles as a precaution while runoff continued moving downstream.
Because the danger doesn’t end when rain does, Gov. Greg Abbott reminded residents Friday that rivers keep rising as water flows downstream, even after skies clear.
The Lower Colorado River Authority has been opening floodgates at the Wirtz, Starcke, Mansfield, and Tom Miller dams to move the surge of water through the Highland Lakes toward Austin.
The Bottom Line for Today
Saturday morning finds the Hill Country in recovery mode: the Guadalupe is down, Kerrville and Kerr County report no missing persons, and rain has largely moved out. But downstream communities along the Llano — Mason, Llano, and Kingsland — are still watching swollen water work its way through, with flood warnings in Llano County posted through Sunday morning.
Sources: City of Kerrville, Kerr County Sheriff’s Office, City of Llano, Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), National Weather Service, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office
An apparent homicide, the city’s 35th of 2026, occurred just after midnight at a southeast Austin apartment complex.
Officers responded shortly after midnight to the La Cima Apartments after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired.
Officers found a man with obvious trauma.
He was pronounced dead at 12:28 a.m.
More updates to follow.
The Texas Department of Safety has shared video of a recent pursuit on U.S. Highway 183 near Cameron Road.
The suspect drove recklessly along the Interstate 35 frontage road, attempted to pass multiple vehicles through a construction zone, and struck four civilian vehicles before the pursuit came to an end.
ICE arrests were reported in North Austin early Friday.
Montopolis Pool in South Austin is closed until further notice for electrical repairs required after a lighnting strike damaged equipment at the facility.
WEATHER
FRIDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Talarico Holds Massive 4-to-1 Cash Advantage Over Paxton in Texas Senate Race
Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico has launched into the final four-month sprint to November holding a commanding campaign cash advantage over his Republican rival, Ken Paxton, according to recent Federal Election Commission filings.
In his first bid for statewide office, Talarico raised more than $30 million over a three-month period, ending June with a $21.5 million bank balance. Meanwhile, Paxton—who won a highly contested May 26 runoff against incumbent Republican John Cornyn—raised $9 million during the same timeframe. However, after accounting for heavy runoff expenses, the Texas Attorney General’s campaign was left with just $1.7 million in cash on hand.
The Super PAC Disparity
In a massive state like Texas, which contains 20 distinct and expensive media markets, campaign-controlled funds only tell part of the story. When outside political action committees are factored in, Talarico’s financial dominance becomes even more pronounced:
- Lone Star Liberty PAC (Paxton-aligned): Spent heavily during the Republican runoff and entered July with just $35,000 remaining.
- Talarico-aligned Super PAC: Entered July with $21.6 million in the bank.
A significant portion of the Talarico-aligned PAC’s funding came on the June 30 filing deadline via a single $10 million donation from billionaire venture capitalist and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Hoffman had previously contributed $1.5 million to the PAC earlier this year when Talarico was locked in a tight primary race against U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Other prominent billionaire donors boosting the PAC include Houston philanthropist Susan Sarofim and Austin FC part-owner Simone Coxe.
Joint Fundraising Efforts
Both candidates also utilized joint fundraising committees formed in April, which allow them to pool resources with other party candidates. As of June 30, their financial standings were as follows:
| Candidate Committee | Total Raised | Spending Status |
| Paxton Joint Committee | $3.87 Million | Has spent only a tiny fraction of its funds. |
| Talarico Joint Committee | $4.00 Million | Has dispersed just over half of its funds. |
The family of the victim in a child sex abuse case prosecuted by the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office is speaking out against the use of the case by politicians, saying they are “tired of being used.” (Texas Tribune)
Clifford Young, Pollster and Political Science Professor at Texas A&M’s Bush School, discusses the Texas Senate race.
Bio of Robert S. Howden.
The guys discuss all of the top stories this week, including a new Secretary of State, developments on the Houston shooting incident, and a deep dive into the latest finance reports.
GOP nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner Bo French explains why he’s busy discussing issues that seemingly have nothing to do with the agency and the regulations he’d rip up.
Former Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa tells us why he announced a run for Dallas Mayor so early, 15 months ahead of that election.
And Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo on why she thinks the city’s water crisis will cost some council members their jobs in November.
After nearly six months of negotiations, the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Police Officers Association have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year labor contract that would raise officer base pay by a cumulative 16.5% while costing the city an estimated $102.2 million over the life of the agreement. (Texas Public Radio)
A Texas jury has sentenced a Randall County man to life in prison after he was convicted of driving while intoxicated for at least the 12th time.
TEXAS TOP TEN MOST WANTED
The Texas Department of Public Safety has added James Lee Kirby to the Texas Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List.
Texas Crime Stoppers is now offering a cash reward of up to $7,500 for information leading to his arrest.
SPORTS
MLB: It was a rough Friday night for Texas baseball.
The Rangers were routed 15-1 on the road by the Atlanta Braves, while the Astros dropped a tight one in Houston, falling 3-2 to the Baltimore Orioles.
Chris Sale pitched seven shutout innings of two-hit ball and Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson and Austin Riley homered for Atlanta during a 19-hit outburst as the Braves pounded the Texas Rangers 15-1 on Friday night. (Associated Press)
The Rangers placed right-handed pitcher Chris Martin on the 15-day injured list and recalled right-hander Emiliano Teodo from Triple-A Round Rock
The next five series will be very telling about the direction of the Rangers 2026 season.
Taylor Ward hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Houston Astros 3-2 on Friday night to extend their season-best win streak to five games. (Associated Press)
The Astros have called up outfielder Lucas Spence after a brief stretch at Triple-A ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Baltimore Orioles.
ON THE SCHEDULE
Both Lone Star State clubs will look to bounce back today: the Rangers are back in Atlanta for game two of their series (3:10 PM CDT), and the Astros host the Orioles again at home (3:10 PM CDT) as they try to even their series as well.
AL WEST STANDINGS
MLS: After a prolonged break for World Cup action, Austin FC resume their season Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium.
The organizers of HemisFair ’68 wanted its impact on San Antonio’s tourism and hospitality industries to extend far beyond the exposition’s six-month run. So they incorporated pending urban renewal projects into the park’s development.
Plans for the San Antonio Convention Center also included a quarter-mile extension of the San Antonio River Walk, bringing its banks to the doorstep of the complex with a new seven-foot-deep, concrete-bed channel. The $1.9-million expansion and beautification project rehabilitated the pedestrian street’s maligned reputation.
The place once considered dangerous enough for the military to ban personnel from visiting now became a popular off-site HemisFair attraction. Fairgoers could enjoy programming at the Arneson River Theater, tour the shops and restaurants of La Villita Historic Arts Village, and take river taxis from area hotels directly to an entrance gate adjacent to the Convention Center—features that would continue to attract visitors to San Antonio for decades to come.
According to USA Today, the San Antonio River Walk is now the most popular tourist attraction in Texas. This silent home movie footage captures the scene along the San Antonio River Walk during HemisFair, including a live musical performance aboard a river taxi.
Let’s go back to 1968…
