If the August plan had held, Lake Austin would have started dropping this morning. The Lower Colorado River Authority was set to lower the lake between Mansfield Dam and Tom Miller Dam starting October 12. It would have come down no more than about a foot a day until it settled roughly 10 feet below normal, at a target of 481.8 to 482.8 feet above mean sea level. The City of Austin's August 20 announcement said reaching that level could take about three weeks. Public boat ramps along the lake would have closed, and swimming at Emma Long Metropolitan Park would have been prohibited through November 30.
None of that is happening. The water off 3825 Lake Austin Blvd, where Hula Hut, Quince and Mozart's sit, is at its usual level heading into the holiday season. Fall is the lake's peak business season, and fall is also the only time LCRA still allows drawdowns. With no other window available, the question of when to lower the lake is still open, and this fall's full water is a one-season reprieve.
Seven weeks of notice, then a reversal
The plan lasted just over a month. Here is how it went:
- August 20, 2026. The City and LCRA announce the October 12 to November 30 drawdown. The City says it asked for the drawdown in response to stakeholder requests, so lakefront property owners and City departments could do shoreline maintenance.
- September 18, 2026. KXAN reports that lake business owners expect layoffs and canceled holiday events.
- September 22, 2026. The City's most recent stakeholder meeting. According to the City's Lake Austin project page, participants couldn't agree on moving the drawdown to December 1 through January 15 versus canceling it outright, but nobody preferred the original schedule.
- September 24, 2026. The City cancels the 2026 drawdown.
- September 25, 2026. KUT and the Austin American-Statesman report the cancellation.
The timing is what tipped it. People on both sides of the question agreed the lake needed work, but the plan gave them seven weeks to prepare for losing the water during the busiest stretch of the year.
The argument that won was about October
The City's cancellation notice is direct about what changed its mind. Staff heard concerns about the impact on businesses and activities along Lake Austin, "including the fall wedding season and major events such as University of Texas at Austin football games and Formula 1."
The people who work on the water put numbers on those concerns. David Callejas, who owns Float On Boat Rentals, told KXAN that "October is just one of the best times to be on the water." He said visitors in town for ACL, F1 and UT football rent boats and stop at the shops along the shore. He estimated his company would lose more than $100,000 in revenue, with about 25 captains losing work. Shawn Smith of Austin Rental Boats gave KXAN a bigger estimate of about $315,000 in lost revenue, with possible layoffs.
Smith's other business brings the issue right to Deep Eddy's shoreline. He also owns Lake Austin Lights, a holiday light tour on the lake, which KXAN reported would run out of Hula Hut this year. With lake access cut short, he said, the event faced cancellation. Hula Hut's address on Lake Austin Blvd is 3825, the same as Mozart's.
Upriver, Ski Shores Cafe owner Adam Campbell told KVUE that September and October are normally strong months for his business, and he wanted more advance notice. Austin Riverboats captain John Wolters told KVUE the drawdown would have forced him to cancel six weddings.
Callejas also told KXAN he doubted there would be enough contractors to handle all the dock work in that window. "There's probably not going to be enough contractors to perform all the work," he said. So the concern went beyond lost business. It wasn't clear the drawdown would even get its intended work done in seven weeks.
Council Member Paige Ellis told KXAN that local businesses said they were caught off guard. "We certainly want to make sure that folks aren't disproportionately impacted," she said.
Why there is no backup date
If fall is the problem, the obvious fix would be to move the drawdown. Stakeholders tried exactly that. The City says they asked about January and February 2027.
Winter used to be when this happened. The last Lake Austin drawdown ran from January 2 to February 13, 2017, when the lake was lowered 10 feet for 42 days and then refilled, according to a City report published in December 2018. That window is no longer available. After Winter Storm Uri in 2021, LCRA stopped doing drawdowns in winter so the hydroelectric generators at dams along the Highland Lakes stay available to support the Texas power grid in cold weather. LCRA now schedules planned drawdowns in the fall. KXAN reported that LCRA had also ruled out summer drawdowns, citing possible effects on hydroelectric operations at Tom Miller Dam, the dam at Deep Eddy's end of the lake.
That leaves one season, and it's the season lake businesses say they can least afford to lose. The City's own wording reflects this: staff decided that going ahead "at this time would not provide the appropriate balance" between the benefits of a drawdown and the impact on the community.
The reasons for a drawdown haven't gone away. Lakefront owners still need access to docks, bulkheads and boat slips for maintenance and to clear sediment and debris. KXAN also connected the plan to managing hydrilla, an aquatic weed growing in the lake. Assistant City Manager Mike Rogers said staff "will continue evaluating economic, operational, environmental and community considerations associated with potential future drawdowns."
The 2017 drawdown also showed that lowering the lake has costs beyond lost business. The City's follow-up survey counted 2,623 dead mussels among those surveyed and attributed heavy losses in the exposed area to drying and below-freezing temperatures. Any future attempt has to work around the grid, the fall calendar and the lake's ecology all at once.
What stays on the water near Deep Eddy this fall
With the lake full, the places that would have been affected by low water are running normally. Here is where they stand as of mid-October 2026:
| Place | Address | Where things stand |
|---|---|---|
| Walsh Boat Landing | 1600 Scenic Dr. | City-run concrete ramp on Lake Austin, $10 launch fee. It would have closed along with the other public ramps under the drawdown. |
| Hula Hut, Quince and Mozart's | 3825 Lake Austin Blvd | The waterfront stays at normal lake level. Lake Austin Lights now lists departures from Hula Hut from November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027. |
| Mozart's Festival of Lights | 3825 Lake Austin Blvd | The 16th annual show runs November 21, 2026 through January 3, 2027. |
| Red Bud Isle | 3401 Red Bud Trail | City parks are generally open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. unless posted otherwise. |
The Walsh Boat Landing page also lists the site's rules, including a ban on commercial activity that boards or drops off passengers there. If you're booking a charter, confirm the pickup spot with the operator.
The water is full, but the City's algae update dated October 6, 2026 lists both Red Bud Isle and Walsh Boat Landing among sites where blue-green algae was still present. It advises avoiding algae and says anyone entering natural water does so at their own risk. The page also says samples only capture conditions at one moment, so check the latest update before a dog swim or paddle.
Mozart's says this year's show includes more than two million lights, synchronized light displays and live holiday entertainment. Under the August plan, refilling wasn't scheduled to start until November 24, three days after the show opens, with the lake expected back in its normal range by November 30.
The near calendar, with one correction
One leftover detail could confuse anyone checking City pages. The City's parks and recreation closures roster still lists Lake Austin boat ramps closing October 12 through November 30 for the drawdown. That listing is from before the September 24 cancellation.
The dates that do apply over the next few weeks:
- October 31: The posted 2026 schedule for Deep Eddy Pool at 401 Deep Eddy Ave. ends. Through then, lap swim runs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and recreational swim 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the pool closed Tuesdays for maintenance. The City hasn't posted a schedule for after October 31 yet.
- November 20: Lake Austin Lights departures from Hula Hut begin, according to Austin Rental Boats' current listing.
- November 21: Mozart's Festival of Lights opens for its 16th season.
- November 30: The date the lake was expected to be back in its normal range under the canceled plan. This year it means nothing changes.
No 2027 drawdown date has been set. The City says it will stay in touch with LCRA and Lake Austin stakeholders as it considers future options.
Life near the water in Deep Eddy depends on decisions made upstream, from the dams to dock rules to the holiday lights on Lake Austin Blvd. If you'd like to talk about what the lakeside stretch of the neighborhood means for a home you own or are considering, Amy Sparks is glad to share what she's watching. Book a Personalized Consultation, and we'll go over it together.
