Llano County extends Buchanan boat ramp

LLANO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - With Lake Buchanan down to just one boat ramp thanks to low water levels, Llano County is getting constructive when it comes to luring tourists back to its side. The boat ramp at the Llano County Park closed a few months ago when the water dropped below the point of entry. But, by mid-November, officials hope to re-open a much improved ramp.

Adjacent to that park sits Black Rock Park, where tourists can stay overnight.

Camp Host Bob Kratsinger said, “Right now, we have a hard time with people with boats, because they don’t have any place to put them in.”

With neighboring ramp out of the water, Kratsinger says the number of overnight guests has definitely gone down.

“Because of the 105-degree heat,” he said, “we haven’t had very many tent campers.”

With Buchanan 17 feet below its August average, the county took advantage of the bad situation. Crews are now extending the boat ramp by 400 feet.

Terry Weirich, part of the contract crew, said, “As the time went by, by the time we got to the project, the water had receded past the point where we had to worry about actually getting in the water to work.”

Still, the water has already dropped five feet below where this ramp will end once it re-opens. So, the drought actually made this job and Kratsinger’s a little too easy.

“Yeah, well, it always is,” laughed Kratsinger. “The less mess you have to clean up, the less work there is.”

He said, with a lot of rain, his work and the ramp’s will pick up. It just might have to wait until next spring though.

There is still one open boat ramp at Lake Buchanan on the opposite side at Burnet County Park, also known as White Bluff. However, the water level is technically lower than the closure point there, and with water dropping an average foot a week it could also close soon.