Town Lake: ah, you'll be canoeing on here soon enough. Credit: Photo by Richard Whittaker

After a three week boating ban, the Lower Colorado River Authority has made it official: Lake Travis is open again!

It’s down to 686 foot above mean sea level, which is still seven feet above what the LCRA calls full, and boaters are being asked to be careful about debris. Some buoys and markers also got washed away, and since there’s still some partially submerged houses and boat ramps, try not to create wakes, especially around Graveyard Point.

There’s still two floodgates open at Mansfield dam, which means the City of Austin won’t be be opening Lake Austin or Town Lake yet. The gates may be closed and the lakes open later this week, but that depends on whether it rains again in the watershed.

On further updates, the plan is that Gloster Bend and The Narrows at 5pm Tuesday, and Cypress Creek Park and Sandy Creek Park at 8am Thursday. Check the LCRA web site for the full list.

This article appears in July 13 • 2007.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.