Tubing season in South Texas is getting underway, but local lakes, reservoirs, and rivers are still notably low as the drought continues. Here’s an update as of Thursday, Apr. 11:
KEY POINTS
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Lakes and reservoirs like Canyon Lake, Lake Amistad, Medina Lake, and Choke Canyon are well below their respective conservation pools
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Rivers like the Nueces, Frio, Medina, Guadalupe, and Comal are well below their respective median streamflow
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Drought continues across much of South Texas
LAKES & RESERVOIRS
Unfortunately, the four main lakes and reservoirs in our area are still notably low, with Medina Lake still in the worst shape at only 2.8% full.
Here’s a breakdown of each body of water, with all information coming from Water Data for Texas.
Canyon Lake:
Latest reading (As of Apr. 11, 2024): 59% full
| Timestamp | Percent Full (%) | Height Above/Below Conservation Pool (measured in feet) |
|---|---|---|
| Today (4/11/2024) | 59% | – 22 |
| 1 month ago | 60% | N/A |
| 6 months ago | 65% | N/A |
| 1 year ago | 76% | N/A |
Lake Amistad:
Latest reading (As of Apr. 11, 2024): 28% full
| Timestamp | Percent Full (%) | Height Above/Below Conservation Pool (measured in feet) |
|---|---|---|
| Today (4/11/2024) | 28% | – 66 |
| 1 month ago | 28% | N/A |
| 6 months ago | 32% | N/A |
| 1 year ago | 35% | N/A |
Medina Lake:
Latest reading (As of Apr. 11, 2024): 2.8% full
| Timestamp | Percent Full (%) | Height Above/Below Conservation Pool (measured in feet) |
|---|---|---|
| Today (4/11/2024) | 2.8% | – 91 |
| 1 month ago | 3.0% | N/A |
| 6 months ago | 3.9% | N/A |
| 1 year ago | 5.2% | N/A |
Choke Canyon:
Latest reading (As of Apr. 11, 2024): 24% full
| Timestamp | Percent Full (%) | Height Above/Below Conservation Pool (measured in feet) |
|---|---|---|
| Today (4/11/2024) | 24% | – 28 |
| 1 month ago | 24% | N/A |
| 6 months ago | 26% | N/A |
| 1 year ago | 31% | N/A |
RIVERS
Local rivers aren’t doing much better. In fact, the Nueces River below Uvalde and the Medina River near Lacoste are currently reporting no streamflow. There’s likely still some water in the rivers at these sites, but it’s just not flowing at the moment.
Here’s a breakdown of the latest river data as of 11 a.m. Thursday, Apr. 11, with all information coming from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Guadalupe River:
| Site Location | Gage Height (measured in feet) | Discharge/Flow (measured in cubic feet per second) | Median Flow (measured in cubic feet per second) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guadalupe River at Hunt | 7.66 | 7.70 | 42 |
| Guadalupe River at Kerrville | 0.85 | 3.15 | 78 |
| Guadalupe River near Spring Branch | 1.49 | 11.6 | 177 |
| Guadalupe River at New Braunfels | 1.68 | 66.2 | 304 |
| Guadalupe River at Gonzales | 11.53 | 423 | 926 |
Comal River:
| Site Location | Gage Height (measured in feet) | Discharge/Flow (measured in cubic feet per second) | Median Flow (measured in cubic feet per second) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comal River at New Braunfels | 3.71 | 153 | 311 |
Medina River:
| Site Location | Gage Height (measured in feet) | Discharge/Flow (measured in cubic feet per second) | Median Flow (measured in cubic feet per second) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medina River at Bandera | 3.25 | 5.41 | 59 |
| Medina River at Lacoste | 3.41 | 0.0 | 37 |
| Medina River near Somerset | 4.31 | 22.7 | 73 |
Frio River:
| Site Location | Gage Height (measured in feet) | Discharge/Flow (measured in cubic feet per second) | Median Flow (measured in cubic feet per second) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frio River at Leakey | 2.78 | N/A | N/A |
| Frio River at Concan | 3.34 | 8.56 | 72 |
Nueces River:
| Site Location | Gage Height (measured in feet) | Discharge/Flow (measured in cubic feet per second) | Median Flow (measured in cubic feet per second) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nueces River near Barksdale | 12.62 | 25.4 | 28 |
| Nueces River below Uvalde | 1.58 | 0.57 | 21 |
| Nueces River near Three Rivers | 1.36 | 24.6 | 55 |
LATEST DROUGHT UPDATE
The latest drought monitor update released on Thursday shows that drought is still very much ongoing across parts of South Central Texas.
Extreme drought (shown in red) encompasses parts of the Hill Country and stretches down to northern Medina County.
Severe drought (shown in orange) continues along and north of the Highway 90 corridor.
Moderate drought (shown in tan) is still in place for much of Bexar County.
This drought update does not include the rain found from Tuesday night’s storms. Those totals will be included in the next update released on Apr. 18.
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