Months after a historic flood swept through Central Texas, the Lower Colorado River Authority is stepping in to remove some of the damage left behind.
Thursday, the LCRA released a list of actions they plan to take to enhance public safety on Lake LBJ.
"Hopefully we can get it back to safe and beautiful again," said Kingsland homeowner Rhonda Nesrsta. "It’s a Texas treasure, and it needs to be cared for. We just couldn’t be happier that they’ve responded and said they’re going to help.”
Some of the flood damages include docks and boats being left in the water and on properties surrounding the lakes.
“We are taking these actions to further enhance public safety,” said Phil Wilson, LCRA general manager. “Anyone on the lake should use caution and their best judgment."
Some of the actions the LCRA plans on taking include marking river channels with solar-powered lights to guide boaters at night and removing abandoned flood-damaged docks from the lake.
Here's a full list of actions the LCRA plans on implementing:
- Following the refill of the lake Feb. 24-27, LCRA crews will assess conditions and mark or, where possible, remove navigational hazards in the main body of the lake. Debris on the shoreline and on private property continues to be the responsibility of the property owner.
- LCRA will designate the entire lake a nighttime no-wake zone following the refill of the lake. By law, “nighttime” is defined as from 30 minutes after sundown to 30 minutes before sunrise. Violation of the no-wake requirement is a Class C misdemeanor. The nighttime no-wake speed limit will be enforced until further notice.
- LCRA will mark the river channel through Lake LBJ with buoys from the confluence of the Llano and Colorado rivers downstream to Wirtz Dam, a distance of about 12 miles. The markers will include solar-powered lights to guide boaters at night.
- LCRA will post signs at public boat ramps alerting visitors to use extreme caution on the lake. LCRA also will offer free warning signs to marinas and local property owners associations with boat ramps.
- Effective immediately, the public may report unmarked hazards to AskLCRA@lcra.org. The report should include a detailed description of the object and the location, and a photo, if possible. LCRA’s Water Surface Management team will investigate all reports and take appropriate action to address corroborated hazards.
- LCRA will remove abandoned flood-damaged docks from the lake.
Lake LBJ and Marble Falls levels are currently drawn down to allow property owners the chance to clean up debris and repair docks from the flood.
The refill of Lake LBJ is scheduled for Feb. 24 and will end on Feb. 27. Lake Marble Falls refilling will begin on March 18 and end on March 21.