Lake Austin will not be lowered

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Because of current drought conditions, Lake Austin will not be lowered in an attempt to kill hydrilla.

Hydrilla is an aggressive non-native aquatic plant.  The weed made a resurgence this fall, invading more than 320 acres of the lake. 

The lake has been lowered several times over the past decade to control the hydrilla growth.  The last time the lake was lowered was Januarly of 2008. 

Fall rains have not contributed enough to the water storage in lakes Travis and Buchanan to allow for an effective drawdown.  The lakes are currently at about 55% capacity. 

"The lack of a drawdown is not the best-case scenario for either property owners or lake users, but unfortunately, the persistent drought conditions are determining the situation," said Mary Gilroy, environmental scientist with the City’s Watershed Protection Department. "While a drawdown would help minimize the impacts from the nuisance aquatic vegetation in shallow water, it would not have much effect on the aggressive hydrilla, which grows in much deeper water."

The City of Austin has introduced sterile grass carp to control the hydrilla.  Texas Parks and Wildlife approved stocking 4,400 fish in the lake.  2,200 were released in mid-November, the remaining fish are scheduled to go into the lake at the end of the year.