Last Lake Travis boat ramp in jeopardy

AUSTIN (KXAN) -  

Only one boat ramp is open at Lake Travis, but it could close at any time. Travis County Parks officials are monitoring the lake level and will decide when the boat ramp is unusable.

Sunday afternoon, Lake Travis was at 640.62 feet, which is 28 feet below its monthly average. The current lake level puts it at its fifth lowest level on record. If the water level falls below 640.24 feet, it will become the lowest level since 1984.

"Well, it's pretty low," said Mike Makuch, Boat Owner.

Makuch has been watching the water level at Lake Travis drop every day. He decided to bring his boat out of the water Sunday afternoon, before it gets any worse.

"I'm pulling my boat out of Hurst Harbor," said Makuch. "They're dried up, so I'm pulling my boat out."

Only one boat ramp is open at Lake Travis. Part of the ramp is closed, because the lake is lower than part of the ramp.

Lake Travis continues to drop more than two feet a week. It is getting dangerously close to its all-time low.

Travis County Parks officials said it is only a matter of time before they completely close the lake's last ramp. They said it could be in a day or a few weeks, but they do think the ramp will close sometime this summer.

"This is the only one open, so I had to drive all the way around here," said John West, Jet Skier.

John West comes to the lake often. He has never seen it this bad.

"I've never seen it that low, and I've been out here for 25 years," said West. "It's definitely low."

West is going to use extreme caution when he hits the water.

"You gotta stay towards the center, because nobody knows what's going to pop up," said West.

More islands are showing up on the lake, which is getting drier everyday. It is a hazard for anyone out on the lake and a serious sign of the Central Texas drought.

For more information on the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and the Highland Lakes, visit their Web site at www.lcra.org