Drought wreaks havoc on wildlife

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin and the Hill Country are among the two driest regions in the country. The extreme drought conditions have drastically changed the food chain on one Hill Country ranch.

"We have only seen six inches of rain since last October," said ranch manager Ed Dutch. The whitetail deer on the thousands of acres he oversees in southern Burnet County are in a poor nutritional state. Even the armadillos are looking skinny. Dutch said you will not find a snake, rat or rabbit within miles.

It is the driest year the area has seen since the 1950s drought. According to the Lower Colorado River Authority, inflows into the Highland Lakes is the lowest it has been since 1942. Mike Jordan, with LCRA's River Management division said their is enough drinking water for Central Texans. If the drought continues, LCRA plans to cut off the water supply to a small group of interruptible customers, like golf courses who can turn to alternative sources of water. If the extreme conditions continue, more measures will be taken.
The most shocking sights for Dutch are the two stock tanks that have nearly dried up. Massive cracks in the soil surround them.

"No matter what we do, or how well we feel like we can manage something, if we don't have natural help we can't do it," said Dutch.