One year ago, 19 inches of rain fell on the friendly community of Marble Falls in the Texas Hill Country. The June 27, 2007 storm flooded homes, swept cars away, destroyed property and endangered lives.

The heavy rains also produced rivers of runoff that poured into the Highland Lakes. Lake levels quickly began rising, posing further risks to people and property in low-lying areas. One of LCRA’s most important jobs is operating the Highland Lakes system of dams during a flood to protect people and property to the extent possible.

The record amount of rain which fell on June 26 capped a six-month stretch in Central Texas which was one of the top 10 wettest starts to any year on record.  During 2007, the level of Lake Travis started low and ended full:

• January 1, 2007 - Lake Travis was 644.12 feet msl
• July 6, 2007 -  Lake Travis peaked at 701.52 feet msl – its fifth-highest elevation since the completion of Mansfield Dam in 1942.
• July 19 - LCRA closed the final floodgate as Lake Travis had been lowered to 682.9 feet msl.
• January 1, 2008 - Lake Travis was 680.58 feet msl