Texas Reservoir Water Levels Reach 2-Year High

Water levels at Belton Lake in Belton, Texas, have reached a two-year high after a slew of heavy rain.

Texas has recently been struck by a wave of severe weather—a deluge of rain that hit the state prompted a surge of flood warnings. Extreme heat will grip the southern half of the state this week, sparking worries about the electrical grid capacity, and a tornado tore through Hawley, Texas, last week, leveling homes and injuring four people.

Drought plagued the region last year, reducing water levels at Belton Lake to roughly 60 percent of its capacity in July after the region went without rain for months. But now, after the rain pummeled Texas, the parched reservoir has made a full recovery and could rise another 10 feet over the next week.

As of Tuesday morning, Lake Belton was at 100 percent capacity. The last time the lake was full was in 2022, according to a graph shared on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website. Water levels were so high that the reservoir was a flood risk.

Natural Resource Park Ranger Arty Johnson with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Belton told Newsweek that the recent rain is unusual. The lake has improved to the point that docks closed because of drought can reopen, but some could soon become unusable again if the water levels rise too high. However, Belton is in "much better shape" when it comes to water conservation because of the rain, Johnson said.

People living in the area celebrated the improved water levels.

"It's been a while since we've seen this level at Lake Belton. 100% and the Leon River is still flowing strong!" social media user Randy Pittenger posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.

As of Tuesday morning, Lake Belton water levels were 601 feet—a 14-foot increase over the levels a week ago when the lake was at 82 percent capacity.

Johnson warned boaters to exercise caution when visiting the lake.

"There is a lot of debris that came down from the creeks and the river, so if you're out there boating, there are a lot of obstacles, a lot of logs, wood debris," he said.

Other lakes across the state also have been impacted. Lake Waco water levels have risen 20 feet above average, and Stillhouse Hollow Lake also has recovered significantly and was documented at only 3 inches below capacity on Tuesday after rising 10 feet in less than a week.

Lake Buchanan was rising at a "pretty good pace," according to a Tuesday morning forecast by meteorologist Avery Tomasco at KEYE in Austin. Lake Travis, which struggled with drought last year as water levels dropped so low that pecan groves were exposed, also is improving, although at a much slower pace.