The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is carrying out water releases this winter as part of the state‑approved Water Management Plan, which outlines when water must be released to support environmental flows in the Colorado River below Austin and into Matagorda Bay. These requirements shift three times a year, on March 1, July 1, and November 1, based on overall basin conditions.

For the period from November 2025 through February 2026, conditions measured on November 1 moved Matagorda Bay’s freshwater inflow category from “Threshold Only” to “OP‑3.” Under this category, LCRA is required to help meet bay inflow criteria using only the storable inflows that enter the Highland Lakes.

During late November and December, the Highland Lakes received significant inflows, while the lower basin remained dry. As a result, inflows reaching the bay fell below required levels, triggering the need for additional releases.

To meet its obligations, LCRA expects to provide about 42,000 acre‑feet of water to Matagorda Bay between late December and January. Half of this water will come from releases from the Highland Lakes, and the other half from the Arbuckle Reservoir.

These releases are expected to temporarily lower lake levels. Without additional rainfall, Lake Buchanan may drop by up to one foot, and Lake Travis by up to half a foot between late December and mid‑ to late January. Releases from Arbuckle Reservoir are scheduled from January 2 through January 20.

Lakes Buchanan and Travis serve as the region’s primary water supply reservoirs, designed to rise and fall with changing weather patterns. Their operations follow the 2020 Water Management Plan, which guides how water is stored, released, and managed throughout the year.