Rising Tides on Town Lake

Who needs Schlitterbahn? Lake Austin will be getting its own minirapids for a couple of days as the Lower Colorado River Authority will be opening the floodgates.

Due to the last few weeks' rainstorms, lakes Travis and Buchanan are at or above capacity. So the LCRA will be releasing water through the Buchanan Dam at Lake Buchanan and Mansfield Dam at Lake Travis until at least Friday, raising levels downstream by up to three feet. Additional rains and changing levels in the Highland Lakes watershed could mean more dumping to come.

They've got a quick reminder for residents: Tie up your boats, look out for debris, and don't drink too much of the water. "Be aware that swimming in natural water bodies after heavy rains increases your risk of illness caused by bacteria. Those higher bacteria levels typically return to normal in about a week to 10 days from the time of the peak runoff into the waterways."

So, nose plugs, people! And no cannonballing. But that's just good sense.