The Lower Colorado River Authority is poised to vote Wednesday on changes to the plan that governs how water is managed in Lakes Travis and Buchanan — a decision that will shape how Central Texas allocates water for years to come.
The authority’s board is scheduled to consider amendments to its Water Management Plan at a meeting in Austin. The plan dictates how the LCRA, which operates the Highland Lakes, balances water supplies for municipal customers such as Austin and for agricultural users downstream, including coastal rice farmers.
The proposed revisions come as municipal demand in Central Texas continues to climb. Projections show city water use could increase 24% between 2020 and 2032, while agricultural demand is expected to decline by 18% over the same period. In response, the LCRA is proposing to reduce the amount of water it can release for irrigation and to raised the lake-level thresholds that trigger a cutoff to farmers…