Lake Austin Water Level Today - 492.59 ft, 98.6% Full

Colorado River (Texas) · Texas - updated daily from official gauges

Western Reservoir Conditions·Daily·No. 47·Tuesday, September 8, 2026·Latest reading September 8, 2026

• Lake Austin is 98.6% full - effectively full on this site's capacity scale - as of September 8, 2026. Surface elevation 492.59 feet, storage 23,641 acre-feet (capacity basis 23,972 acre-feet), per Texas Water Development Board data.
• That elevation is its highest September reading since 2014, and 16.57 feet above its record low of 476.02 ft (January 23, 1986), in a daily record going back to January 1, 1966 (TWDB's period of record for this reservoir).
• Storage is 103% of the September 8 average across 51 years of record.
• Lake Austin is rising: elevation changed +0.25 ft over the past week, +0.33 ft over the past month, and +0.40 ft over the past year, per Texas Water Development Board data.

Lake Austin is holding near the top of its operating range at 98.6% of capacity, +0.40 ft over the past twelve months.

Lake Austin operating range

Lake Austin is operated within a narrow band rather than drawn down and refilled over years. As of September 8, 2026 it sits 0.21 feet below its 492.8 ft full-pool reference. Over the past two years the daily record ranges from 491.94 ft (May 8, 2026) to 492.60 ft (January 2, 2026) - a band of 0.66 feet. The highest reading in the full record is 494.92 ft on May 25, 1981.

Storage above the full-pool reference is flood control space, not supply. A reservoir reading at or near 100% of its conservation capacity is being operated normally - it is not a surplus, and the operator may release water to hold that space.

Lake Austin storage in context

Lake Austin water level, past 12 months

98.6% full at the latest reading - across the past 12 months it ranged from 94.4% (May 8, 2026) to 98.7% (January 2, 2026). Percent full is storage against the 23,972-acre-foot capacity basis, not a share of the elevation plotted above.

Lake Austin elevation, full record

98.6% full at the latest reading - across the storage record since January 1, 1966 it ranged from 20.2% (January 23, 1986) to 100.0% (March 12, 2015). Percent full is storage against the 23,972-acre-foot capacity basis, not a share of the elevation plotted above. Every percentage here is measured against today's capacity basis; a reservoir's surveyed capacity changes as sediment accumulates behind the dam, so early-record percentages are indicative rather than exact.

Last 14 daily readings

Frequently asked questions

What is the water level of Lake Austin today?

As of September 8, 2026, Lake Austin's surface elevation is 492.59 feet, with 23,641 acre-feet in storage - 98.6% of the 23,972 acre-foot capacity basis. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

How full is Lake Austin?

Lake Austin is 98.6% full as of September 8, 2026. Its storage is 103% of the September 8 average across its record since 1966. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

When was Lake Austin last full?

Lake Austin was last at or above 95% of its 23,972 acre-foot capacity basis on September 8, 2026. As of September 8, 2026 it is 98.6% full. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

Is Lake Austin rising or falling?

Lake Austin is rising: its elevation changed +0.25 feet over the week ending September 8, 2026, +0.33 ft over the past month, and +0.40 feet over the past year. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

What was Lake Austin's lowest water level on record?

Lake Austin's lowest surface elevation in the daily record since January 1, 1966 was 476.02 feet on January 23, 1986, per the daily record used by this site. As of September 8, 2026 the reservoir is 16.57 feet above that record low.

About this gauge

Lake Austin is a Texas water-supply reservoir in the Colorado River (Texas) basin. Water Data for Texas publishes a conservation pool elevation of 492.8 ft and a conservation capacity of 23,972 acre-feet, with daily water level and storage recorded since 1966-01-01.

Operator

Texas Water Development Board (Water Data for Texas)

Station

austin

Measurements

Daily water level and conservation storage

River

Colorado River (Texas)

State

Texas

Full pool reference

492.8 ft

Capacity basis

23,972 acre-feet (Water Data for Texas (TWDB) conservation capacity)

Period of record

January 1, 1966 (TWDB's period of record for this reservoir)

Status

Provisional - subject to revision by the reporting agency

Update cadence

Daily

TWDB reports conservation storage against a conservation capacity that is restated as new volumetric surveys are completed, so a percent-full figure here can change without the water level changing. TWDB's methodology page is linked in the notes below.

Download the daily CSV (date, elevation ft, storage AF) or see all data downloads.

Other reservoirs tracked

Texas & Rio Grande: Lake Travis, Lake Buchanan, Canyon Lake, Amistad Reservoir, Falcon Lake, Elephant Butte Reservoir, Lake Abilene, Lake Alan Henry, Lake Amon G Carter, Aquilla Lake, Lake Arlington, Lake Arrowhead, Lake Athens, B. A. Steinhagen Lake, Bardwell Lake, Belton Lake, Benbrook Lake, Lake Bob Sandlin, Bois d'Arc Lake, Lake Bonham, Brady Creek Reservoir, Bridgeport Reservoir, Lake Brownwood, Caddo Lake, Cedar Creek Reservoir, Champion Creek Reservoir, Lake Cherokee, Choke Canyon Reservoir, Lake Cisco, Lake Coleman, Coleto Creek Reservoir, Lake Colorado City, Comanche Creek Reservoir, Lake Conroe, Lake Corpus Christi, Lake Crook, Lake Cypress Springs, E. V. Spence Reservoir, Eagle Mountain Reservoir, Lake Fork Reservoir, Fort Phantom Hill Reservoir, Lake Georgetown, Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Lake Graham, Lake Granbury, Granger Lake, Grapevine Lake, Greenbelt Lake, Halbert Lake, Hords Creek Lake, Lake Houston, Houston County Lake, Hubbard Creek Reservoir, Moss Lake, Inks Lake, Lake J.B. Thomas, Lake Jacksonville, Cooper (Chapman) Lake, Joe Pool Lake, Lake Kemp, Lake Kickapoo, Lake O the Pines, Lavon Lake, Leon Reservoir, Lewisville Lake, Lake Limestone, Livingston Reservoir, Lost Creek Reservoir, Lake L. B. Johnson, Mackenzie Reservoir, Lake Marble Falls, Martin Lake, Medina Lake, Lake Meredith, Millers Creek Reservoir, Lake Mineral Wells, Monticello Reservoir, Mountain Creek Lake, Murvaul Lake, Lake Nacogdoches, Lake Nasworthy, Navarro Mills Lake, New Terrell City Lake, Lake Nocona (Farmer's Creek), North Fork Buffalo Creek Reservoir, O. C. Fisher Lake, O. H. Ivie Reservoir, Oak Creek Reservoir, Lake Palestine, Palo Duro Reservoir, Lake Palo Pinto, Lake Pat Cleburne, Pat Mayse Lake, Possum Kingdom Lake, Proctor Lake, Lake Ray Hubbard, Ray Roberts Lake, Red Bluff Reservoir, Richland-Chambers Reservoir, Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Somerville Lake, Lake Stamford, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Lake Striker, Lake Sulphur Springs, Lake Sweetwater, Lake Tawakoni, Lake Texana, Lake Texoma, Toledo Bend Reservoir, Twin Buttes Reservoir, Lake Tyler, Waco Lake, Lake Waxahachie, Lake Weatherford, White River Reservoir, Whitney Lake, Lake Worth, Wright Patman Lake.
Also: Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Mohave, Lake Havasu, Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Navajo Reservoir, Shasta Lake, Lake Oroville, Folsom Lake, Lake Berryessa, New Melones Lake, Trinity Lake, Don Pedro Reservoir, San Luis Reservoir.