AUSTIN, Texas — We've been talking a lot about the flood risk this week, and rain events like these are necessary to bring up local lake levels. But water advocates aren't convinced this will help yet.
Lake Travis has been just over 34% full for about the past month.
"Levels dropped this morning. Nothing has changed. I think we got under 100 acre feet yesterday and it's dropping," said Shannon Hamilton, the executive director for the Central Texas Water Coalition.
Hamilton said it's going to take a lot of rain for the lakes to get to where they need to be.
"In 2018, when our lakes filled, that took two hurricanes back to back and the perfect jetstream to stall it, to allow it to just sit over us. We need that to happen again," said Hamilton.
A spokesperson with the Lower Colorado River Authority told KVUE, "The expected rains will be welcome, but at this point it does not look like they will be enough to end our current drought."
Hamilton said this rain will still be crucial because it will prime the ground.
"Now, the dry ground has absorbed so much and hopefully will allow – now that it's more moist – it will allow for runoff that we desperately need," said Hamilton.
She said if we get that runoff, it could do a lot to start to boost lake levels in our current drought.
She also said there are ways we can help now. One of those is cutting back on irrigation in yards. Another, she said, is getting to the polls to vote.
"Vote for Prop 6. I'm going to say it: We need that water fund bill. It's a Band-Aid, but we need to take care of the infrastructure that's in place, these leaky pipes, because every day we are losing water out of our lakes just from leaky pipes in the ground. And it's a start. We need a start. It's going to take a flood and it's going to take major infrastructure improvements for us to be sustainable," said Hamilton.