It’s a good week for those who like dams. Floodgates have been opened all along the Highland Lakes. The lakes, created by dams in the 1930′s, are the primary method of flood control in the area. They act like huge storage tanks. “Back in the day” (before the dams, and other flood control), neighborhoods would get flooded and bridges washed out. Now it’s much less frequent. The last really bad Austin Flood was Memorial Day 1981, which washed out areas along Shoal Creek (about 2 blocks away from us).
The Max Starcke Dam, which creates Lake Marble Falls. Marble Falls got 19 inches of rain in 24 hours.

Wirtz Dam, which forms Lake LBJ in the Highland Lakes chain.

Mansfield Dam on Lake Travis. The released water flows downstream toward Austin.

Tom Miller Dam floodgates were opened to let additional water into Town Lake.

(Photos by Ralph Barrera of the American-Statesman.)