Lake Travis (Colorado River Basin) - Texas Water Development Board

  • Home
    • Agency Info

      • General History
      • Board Members
      • Executive Administration
      • Transparency Portal
      • Senate Bill 20 - Expenditure Disclosure
      • Senate Bill 3
      • Contract Administration
      • Administrative Rules
      • Site Policies
      • Investor Relations

      News & Media

      • Join the mailing list
      • Texas Water Newsroom
      • TWDB Videos
      • Drought Information
      • Press Releases
      • TWDB Infographics
      • Water for Texas 2025
      • Speaker Requests

      Publications

      • State Water Plan
      • State Flood Plan
      • Reports
      • Brochures
      • Program Information Sheets
      • Data, Apps and Maps
      • Annual Financial Reports

      Contact Us

      • Career Opportunities
      • Open Solicitations
      • Organizational Chart
      • Regional Water Project Development

      Career Opportunities

  • Board
    • Monthly Board Agendas

      • Board Members
      • Upcoming Events
      • Press Releases
      • Meeting Minutes Archives
      • TWRFA Minutes

      Board Resources

      • Board Meeting Schedule
      • Visitor Registration Card
      • Public comment guidelines
      • Applications Received
  • Financial Assistance
    • Programs Overview

      • Agriculture Water Conservation Grants (AWCG)
      • Agriculture Water Conservation Loans (AWCL)
      • Asset Management Program for Small Systems (AMPSS)
      • Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
      • Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)
      • Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR) Program
      • Emerging Contaminants (EC) Programs
      • Economically Distressed Areas Program (EDAP)
      • FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)
      • FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance Swift Current (FMASC)
      • Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF)
      • Rural Water Assistance Fund (RWAF)
      • State Participation (SP) Program
      • State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT)
      • Texas Water Development Fund (DFund)
      • Water Utilities Technical Assistance Program (WUTAP)
      • Water Supply and Infrastructure Grants (WSIG)

      Financial Assistance Application

      • Program Guidance & Manuals
      • Conditions of Financial Assistance
      • Application FAQ
      • Outlay Reports
      • Interest Rates
      • United States Iron and Steel
      • Build America, Buy America (BABA)
      • Financial Compliance
      • Cybersecurity Resources

      Texas Water Fund

      Online Loan Application

      • Guidance & References for Online Loan Application

      State Water Implementation Fund for Texas

      • Implementation
      • Reporting
  • Water Planning
    • State Water Plan

      • Interactive State Water Plan
      • 2022 State Water Plan
      • 2017 State Water Plan
      • 2012 State Water Plan
      • 2007 State Water Plan
      • 2002 State Water Plan
      • 1997 State Water Plan
      • 1992 State Water Plan
      • 1990 State Water Plan
      • 1984 State Water Plan
      • 1968 State Water Plan
      • 1961 State Water Plan

      Regional Water Planning

      • Planning Group Meeting Schedule
      • Planning Group Information
      • 6th Planning Cycle Information (2026 RWPs)
      • 2026 Regional Water Plans & Previous Plans
      • Educational Information
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Interregional Planning Council
      • Regional Water Planning Related Research
      • Water Planning Rules & Statutes

      Planning Data

      • Regional Water Planning Database
      • Planning Data Dashboard
      • Population & Water Demand Projections
      • Socio-Economic Impact Analysis
      • Conservation Information Dashboard for Water Supply Planning
      • Other Data Resources

      Water Use Survey

      • Online Water Use Survey
      • Printable Water Use Survey
      • Historical Water Use Estimates
      • Water Use Summary & Dashboards
      • Historical Groundwater Pumpage
      • Service Boundary Editor
      • FAQs and Guidance Videos

      Water Bank & Trust

      • Water Bank
      • Water Trust

      Training Video Resources

      • Regional Water Planning Data Entry Application Training
      • Water Use Survey (WUS) Training
  • Groundwater
    • Aquifers

      • Major Aquifers
      • Minor Aquifers
      • Geologic Atlas of Texas

      Conservation Districts

      • District Information (A-G)
      • District Information (H-N)
      • District Information (O-Z and Other Districts)
      • District Facts
      • Management Plan Checklist

      Data

      • Numbered Reports
      • Bulletins
      • Historical Groundwater Reports
      • Daily Water Level Recorder Wells
      • Groundwater Database
      • Submitted Driller's Report Database
      • Water Data Interactive (WDI)

      Models

      • Groundwater Availability Models
      • Download GAM Files
      • Alternative Models
      • Research Projects
      • Analytical Methods

      BRACS

      • BRACS FAQs
      • BRACS Studies
      • Brackish Groundwater Production Zones
      • BRACS Database
      • BRACS GIS Data
      • BRACS Well Logs
      • BRACS TWDB Documents
      • BRACS Useful Links

      Management Areas

      • GMA Meeting Schedule
      • Total Estimated Recoverable Storage
      • Groundwater Management Area 1
      • Groundwater Management Area 2
      • Groundwater Management Area 3
      • Groundwater Management Area 4
      • Groundwater Management Area 5
      • Groundwater Management Area 6
      • Groundwater Management Area 7
      • Groundwater Management Area 8
      • Groundwater Management Area 9
      • Groundwater Management Area 10
      • Groundwater Management Area 11
      • Groundwater Management Area 12
      • Groundwater Management Area 13
      • Groundwater Management Area 14
      • Groundwater Management Area 15
      • Groundwater Management Area 16

      Desired Future Conditions

      • 2021 Joint Planning
      • 2016 Joint Planning
      • 2010 Joint Planning
      • Documents

      Regional Water Planning Areas

      • Region A (Panhandle)
      • Region B
      • Region C
      • Region D (North East Texas)
      • Region E (Far West Texas)
      • Region F
      • Region G
      • Region H
      • Region I (East Texas)
      • Region J (Plateau)
      • Region K (Lower Colorado)
      • Region L (South Central Texas)
      • Region M (Rio Grande)
      • Region N (Coastal Bend)
      • Region O (Llano Estacado)
      • Region P (Lavaca)
  • Surface Water
    • River Basins & Reservoirs

      • View all River Basins
      • View all Lakes & Reservoirs

      Coastal Science

      • Estuary Science Exchange
      • Major Estuaries
      • Minor Estuaries
      • Coastal Hydrology
      • Estuary Circulation & Salinity Models
      • Estuary Monitoring Program
      • Estuarine Hydrographic Surveys
      • Freshwater Inflow Needs
      • Oil Spill Prevention & Response

      Environmental Flows

      • Texas Instream Flows Program (SB2)
      • Environmental Flows Process (SB3)
      • Freshwater Inflow Needs Program
      • Environmental Flows FAQs

      Lake Surveys

      • Completed Surveys & Data
      • Survey Services
      • Sample Products
      • Surveying Methods & Technology

      Texas Water Conditions

      • Texas Water Conditions Report
      • Precipitation & Evaporation
      • Drought

      Surface Water Data for Planning

      • Reservoir Rating Curves for WAM
      • Extended Naturalize Flow and Reservoir Evaporation
  • Flood
    • State Flood Plan

      • Interactive State Flood Plan Viewer
      • State Flood Plan 2024

      Regional Flood Planning

      • 2023 Regional Flood Plans
      • Planning Group Information
      • Flood Planning Group Meeting Schedule
      • 2nd Planning Cycle Documents (2024-2028)
      • Flood Planning Data
      • New Members Resources
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Flood Planning Useful Links and Resources

      Flood Community Assistance

      • National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
      • Community Resources
      • Floodplain Management Training

      Flood Financial Assistance

      • FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance Grants
      • Flood Infrastructure Fund Program
      • Flood Funding Information Clearinghouse

      Flood Science

      • Modeling and Mapping Program
      • Base Level Engineering (BLE)
      • Cursory Floodplain Dataset
      • Subsidence
      • Flood Mapping Resources

      Flood Research

      Federal Flood Funds Reporting

  • Drought
    • Drought Resources

      • Planning for Drought
      • Drought Outlook
      • Understanding Drought Status and Impacts
      • Drought Response and Financial Assistance
      • Groundwater and Drought
      • FAQ + Additional Information
  • Conservation
    • Agricultural Water Conservation

      • FAQs
      • Loans
      • Grants
      • Irrigation Water Use Estimates
      • Irrigation Metering
      • Irrigation Tools

      Conservation Literature

      • Conservation Brochures
      • Literature Price and Order

      Conservation Education

      • Agricultural Education
      • Agricultural Resources
      • Municipal Education
      • Municipal Resources
      • Conservation Documents

      Water Conservation Advisory Council

      • Agricultural BMPs
      • Commercial and Institutional BMPs
      • Industrial BMPs
      • Municipal BMPs
      • Wholesale BMPs

      Water Conservation Plans and Reports

      • Water Conservation Plans
      • Water Conservation Plan - Utility Profile
      • Water Conservation Plan - Annual Reports
      • Water Conservation Plans and Reports FAQs
      • Municipal Water Conservation Planning Tool
      • Historical Conservation Annual Report Data
      • Conservation Dashboard for Water Supply Planning

      Water Loss

      • Water Loss Audit
      • Water Loss Auditor Training
      • Water Loss Audit Validation
      • Water Loss Audit FAQs
      • Water Loss Leak Detection Equipment
      • Historical Water Loss Audit Data
      • Water Loss Dashboard
  • Innovative Water
    • Aquifer Storage and Recovery

      • ASR FAQs
      • ASR Projects
      • ASR TWDB Documents
      • ASR Useful Links

      Desalination

      • Desalination Facts
      • Desalination FAQs
      • Desalination Projects
      • Desalination Database
      • Desalination TWDB Documents
      • Desalination Useful Links

      Rainwater Harvesting

      • Rainwater FAQs
      • Rainwater Projects
      • Training
      • Texas Rain Catcher Award
      • Rainwater TWDB Documents
      • Rainwater Useful Links

      Water Reuse

      • Reuse Facts
      • Reuse FAQs
      • Reuse Projects
      • 2010 Water Reuse Survey
      • Reuse TWDB Documents
      • Reuse Useful Links
  • Data & Apps
    • Data, Apps and Maps

      • TWDB Web Applications
      • GIS Datasets
      • Map Resources
      • Data Services
      • Flood Planning Data
      • Texas Water Data Hub

      TxGIO Resources

      • DataHub
      • Stratmap
      • TxGIO Map Catalog
      • Geographic Information Officer
      The Texas Geographic Information Office acquires, stores, and distributes geographic data and facilitates GIS collaboration across the state.
  • Close menu
Lake Travis (Colorado River Basin)

An aerial view to the lake Travis and Mansfield Dam (Photo provided by the owner)Lake Travis and Mansfield Dam are located approximately thirteen miles northwest of Austin in Travis County (extending into Burnet County), on the Colorado River. The project is owned and operated by the Lower Colorado River Authority for flood control, water supply, electrical power generation and recreational purposes. In December 1936 the United States Department of the Interior authorized the Lower Colorado River Authority to construct a low dam at the site of an old crossing on the river known as Marshall Ford. Construction of the Marshall Ford Dam started in March 1937 and was completed in July 1939. Additional construction with concrete, earth, and rockfill structure that replaced the original dam was completed in May 1942. Deliberate impoundment of water began in September 1940. The first power production unit began operation on January 27, 1941. The dam was renamed for U.S. Rep. J.J. Mansfield, who assisted in the project's development. The present dam has a total length of 7,098 feet with a maximum height of 266 feet and the top of dam is at the elevation of 750 feet above mean sea level. The maximum design water surface may reach to 748.9 feet above mean sea level. According to the TWDB 2008 volumetric survey (LiDAR dataset), Lake Travis has a storage capacity of 1,134,956 acre-feet encompassing a surface area of 19,297 acres at conservation pool elevation (681.6 feet NAVD88). At the flood pool elevation 714.6 feet above mean sea level (NAVD88), the total storage capacity of Lake Travis is 1,921,731 acre-feet, encompassing a surface area of 29,160 acres. The drainage area above the dam is 38,130 square miles, of which 11,900 is probably noncontributing. Runoff is partly regulated by Lake Buchanan and other reservoirs upstream.

Additional Information

  • Water Data for Texas
  • TWDB Hydrographic Survey

Surface Water

  • River Basins & Reservoirs
  • Coastal Science
  • Environmental Flows
  • Lake Surveys
  • Texas Water Conditions
  • Surface Water Data for Planning
  • Surface Water Staff & Other Contacts
Top

Tag » What River Runs Through Austin Texas