A Dangerous Week on Central Texas Waterways
It’s been a rough stretch for local lakes and rivers, and the risks aren’t over yet.
On Saturday, a swimmer went underwater near Point Venture on Lake Travis and never resurfaced. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a 911 call around noon, and after initial rescue efforts failed, the search shifted to a recovery operation.
Crews used side-scan sonar and an underwater camera to locate the man in 114 feet of water; he was recovered that evening by Morgan’s Point Resort divers. Multiple agencies assisted, including Texas Game Wardens, the Lower Colorado River Authority, and STAR Flight. Authorities don’t suspect foul play and are withholding the victim’s identity out of respect for his family.
Sunday, an Austin Fire Department rescue boat pulled five people from the Colorado River near Montopolis Drive after a stand-up paddleboarder carrying multiple passengers and a nearby kayaker got caught in a strong current.
All five were evaluated on scene; STAR Flight also responded. The incident happened while the city’s waterway ban — covering Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, and the Colorado River below Longhorn Dam — was still technically in effect, ahead of its scheduled expiration today at 5 p.m.
These incidents cap off more than a week of unusual conditions on the Highland Lakes system.
Heavy rain in the Hill Country pushed Lake Travis to 104% of its conservation capacity, prompting the Lower Colorado River Authority to open Mansfield Dam‘s floodgates for the first time since 2019.
The City of Austin and Travis County both imposed watercraft bans as floodgates at Mansfield and Tom Miller dams released fast-moving water, and officials repeatedly extended those bans as conditions stayed hazardous. Even as floodgate operations wind down, currents can remain unpredictable and debris-choked for days afterward.
Austin isn’t alone in this.
Authorities in Nueces and Kleberg counties responded to a vessel collision Saturday morning at the Bird Island Basin boat ramp on the Laguna Madre in Kleberg County. A 16-year-old boy was ejected from one of the vehicles and died.
The same weekend brought a string of similar incidents elsewhere in Texas:
A man drowned while swimming with a friend Saturday night in Lake Meredith in Hutchinson County.
A 20-year-old was rescued and hospitalized after a drowning incident over the weekend at Little Elm Beach on Lake Lewisville near Dallas.
Earlier in the week, a 5-year-old child died in a drowning at a Port Aransas beach.
Taken together, it’s been a particularly hard stretch for water safety statewide, not just on Central Texas’s swollen lakes and rivers.
Sources:
KSAT San Antonio, “5-year-old drowns at Port Aransas beach, police say”
KXAN Austin, “Body recovered from 114-foot depth in Lake Travis”
FOX 7 Austin, “Search crews recover body of missing swimmer from Lake Travis”
CBS Austin, “Body recovered from Lake Travis following recovery mission”
KXAN Austin, “ATCEMS: 5 rescued from Colorado River after dealing with strong current”
KVUE, “5 rescued from Colorado River in East Austin amid waterway ban”
CBS Austin, “Officials respond to East Austin water rescue”
Yahoo News / Austin American-Statesman, “Austin bans watercraft as Lake Travis rises, Mansfield Dam floodgates open”
KUT Austin, “Austin again extends Lake Austin, Lady Bird Lake waterway ban”
CBS Austin, “Waterway ban extended again, until Saturday at 5 p.m.”
AustinTexas.gov, “City Issues Waterways Ban Until Tuesday”
FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, “Swimmer rushed to hospital following drowning incident at Little Elm Beach”
AOL / KIII, “32-year-old father drowns while wade fishing at Texas lake”
A violent start to the weekend in Austin, with police investigating two separate overnight incidents just hours apart.
First, downtown: one person was hurt after a shooting near Rainey Street early Sunday morning, with Austin Police responding to the scene near River Street around 1:24 a.m.
And in South Austin, a fatal stabbing — police say a man died after being attacked on Dawson Road, near South Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road, just after midnight. A witness in a nearby park called 911 after finding the man with trauma to his body.
Some members of the Austin City Council are speaking out following the officer involved shooting death of a 17-year-old last week.
A San Marcos man has been sentenced to a total of 80 years in prison for criminal cases related to fraud and theft.
For the second time in three days, Highway 71 east of Llano had to be shut down due to major accidents involving large trucks.
It involved a roll off truck and a passenger car and was about 2 miles east of CR 305. The driver of the passenger vehicle had to be extricated and was airlifted. The canine passenger in the vehicle was uninjured. The highway was shut down for about an hour for helicopter to land and debris clean up.
The previous accident on Friday was a fatality involving a cargo truck and pickup near CR 303.
Zilker Theatre Productions canceled three performances over the weekend due to ongoing “electrical issues”.
Heads up, Austin trail users! Starting this morning, the Hike-and-Bike Trail at Trinity Street will be detoured near the Austin Rowing Club boathouse. The reroute on Lady Bird Lake’s north shore is for ongoing work on the Waller Beach Duct Bank Upgrade. (KUT 90.5)
The city of Pflugerville on Saturday moved to standard Stage 1 water conservation measures, allowing city water customers to use automatic irrigation on their designated watering day before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m., wash outdoor surfaces once per week on their designated watering day at any time and fill swimming pools.
WEATHER
SUNDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
A 500-acre wildfire is burning with little containment in Brooks County.
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has received a similar kind of blessing, found himself in an unfamiliar position upon defeating John Cornyn to become his party’s candidate for Senate. He would finally have to work hard for something. He would have to start giving stump speeches for normal voters, speeches of the kind a candidate seeking high office gives often. (Texas Monthly)
Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico made headlines last week after he made a $25 million pledge to increase outreach to Black Texans and maximize their turnout in the all-important midterm election.
Gov. Greg Abbott said early warning systems and flood sirens helped save lives during recent Hill Country flooding and indicated expanding those systems will be a priority during the next legislative session.
Meanwhile, the cleanup continues.
The owners of the camp in western Kerr County, where 28 people died during flooding on July 4, 2025, recently filed for bankruptcy. Multiple families have since filed five lawsuits, accusing camp leaders of failing to protect their daughters.
While passenger trains between Austin and San Antonio are still a distant prospect, recent research confirms the connection is doable. TxDOT’s latest study highlights the existing rail line running parallel to I-35, and Travis County will soon release its own report looking at an eastern route along SH-130 and I-10. (Texas Public Radio)
A petition calling for the removal of Johnson County Sheriff Adam King is gaining traction as some residents demand new leadership following allegations that have placed the sheriff under investigation.
Anti-ICE protests continued over the weekend in Houston.
Texas politicians call for guardrails on AI – Candidates for one of Texas’ seats in the U.S. Senate called for guardrails on artificial intelligence this week, after OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, announced an unprecedented breach while testing a new AI model.
Push to lower electricity costs, prepare for data centers – The Public Utility Commission of Texas filed a memo to Gov. Greg Abbott that details its plans to protect Texans from rising costs due to data centers. It also, per the governor’s request, detailed ongoing projects and needs from the 2027 legislative session.
Texas data centers – Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic Party candidate for Texas Governor, on Wednesday called on Gov. Greg Abbott to immediately halt new data center development in Texas, arguing he should use his executive authority until lawmakers can pass statewide regulations. Last month, the governor proposed eliminating some tax incentives and requiring data centers pay for their own infrastructure, provide their own power generation, reuse water, and reduce electricity costs for Texans.
Calls for guardrails on prediction market apps – A new proposal from the Texas Medical Association takes aim at online prediction market platforms and calls on state lawmakers to implement guardrails to protect young users from potentially addictive behavior. Users of these apps can wager money on the potential outcome of future events, including sports and elections. The group also called for restrictions on advertising the apps, such as banning ads near schools and parks, or on social media and gaming platforms.
State of Texas revisits ‘TxTag Troubles’ toll bill investigation – Auto-payment issues, double billing, incorrect statements and customer service runaround — those were some of the complaints from users of Texas Department of Transportation toll roads and TxTag. In a From the Vault edition of Inside the Investigation, we take a look at our TxTag Troubles project and where the story could go from here.
School district challenges Texas school funding system – Midland ISD, a West Texas school district, is challenging Texas’ school finance system. The lawsuit argues the state has too much control over local property taxes. The outcome of this lawsuit could have far reaching effects in Texas.
(Episode from July 26, 2026)
SPORTS
MLB: The Texas Rangers dropped the rubber match of their series against Seattle 6-4 on Sunday, while the Houston Astros were routed 12-3 by the White Sox in Chicago — a rough day for both Texas ballclubs.
Both teams are right back at it today, Monday, July 27. The Rangers host the Mariners again at Globe Life Field (1:35 PM CDT first pitch), looking to salvage some momentum after Sunday’s loss. The Astros head to Anaheim for the opener of a three-game set against the Angels (8:38 PM CDT).
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Rank | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas Rangers | 53 | 52 |
| 2 | Seattle Mariners | 52 | 54 |
| 3 | Houston Astros | 52 | 55 |
| 4 | Athletics | 44 | 61 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Angels | 42 | 64 |
It’s a tight three-way race at the top — Texas, Seattle, and Houston are separated by just two games. The Athletics and Angels have fallen well off the pace.
NFL: Cowboys Nation, the wait is over.
America’s Team touches down in Oxnard, California this week to officially kick off the 2026 training camp, with the first practice set for Wednesday.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer enters his second season at the helm, looking to end a two-year playoff drought as a retooled defense — now led by coordinator Christian Parker — gets its first live look in front of fans.
With Dak Prescott and an explosive offense returning largely intact, all eyes in Oxnard will be on whether a revamped defensive unit can find its footing fast enough to turn optimism into results.
The Houston Texans open training camp Wednesday, marking the start of their milestone 25th season with Super Bowl expectations riding on the shoulders of coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Veterans reported Tuesday, a week behind rookies, ahead of practices at the Houston Methodist Training Center in NRG Park that run through the end of August. All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. made the Texans’ expectations crystal clear during OTAs, stating the team’s objective is simply to win the Super Bowl.
With a defense featuring three returning All-Pros, the pressure now shifts to Stroud and an offense looking to build on last season’s improved production as Houston chases its first championship.
July 30: Start of fall camp
Mid-August: Expected start of preseason scrimmages
Late August: Final preparations
September 5: Season opener vs. Texas State
Already home to SpaceX, Blue Origin and recent moon-landers Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines, Texas is quickly becoming the center of the commercial space universe.
Through a newly-formed agency, Texas officials have been doling out grants for space-related research, projects and emerging technology. So what does this mean for the “Lone Star State?”
And why has it become such a proving ground for the startups of the future?
