Texas flooding: Llano River floodwaters help fill Lake Travis

LLANO COUNTY, Texas - In Llano, a rising river brings back memories of last year’s deadly flooding. 

That same water is now making its way toward Lake Travis, which is on track to fill for the first time in seven years.

What they're saying:

When heavy rain sent the Llano River surging once again, one resident turned to his drone to get a bird’s-eye view of the powerful current.

As the drone rose above the Llano River, it revealed a scene Oscar Pocasangre remembers: a river swollen by floodwaters and a community once again keeping a close eye on the water.

Pocasangre flew this same drone after last year’s deadly flooding. On Friday, he sent it back into the sky to see just how this latest flood compared.

"In comparison, I mean it looks about the same, just maybe a couple feet lower this time," Pocasangre said.

The Llano resident said his fascination with weather keeps him watching.

"It's a beautiful thing. It's nature. It's natural. You can't control it and so just the storm, the intensity of everything, it's definitely something that has always interested me," Pocasangre said.

But, he knows the impact flooding can have on communities along the river.

"I've seen actual boat houses just being ripped out and, you know, boats, jet skis flowing down the river. A lot of destruction. Water might look calm on the surface, but you never know what's under that. All the debris flowing through, and it's extremely dangerous," Pocasangre said.

He said he also worries about what the water could mean for the bridge over the Llano River.

"Yeah, we can go to Marble Falls, where most of the big grocery stores are that way, but we also have a small hospital here, and so if the bridge gets affected, then crossing over would be kind of detrimental to the Llano community because nobody could get across the bridge and that's the main access, the main bloodline to the city," Pocasangre said.

Dig deeper:

While the floodwaters bring destruction, they are also bringing something Central Texas hasn’t seen in years: a full Lake Travis.

The Lower Colorado River Authority has opened up multiple floodgates at Wirtz Dam and Starcke Dam to move water from the Llano River downstream through Lake LBJ and Lake Marble Falls into Lake Travis.

At the same time, floodwaters from the Pedernales River are also feeding into Lake Travis.

As a result, Lake Travis has risen dramatically and is expected to be full for the first time in seven years.

"While it is destructive, it also helps," Pocasangre said. "Finally, the lakes are getting up there."

At this point, the Llano River remains the biggest concern with more floodwater still moving downstream. A flood warning remains in effect until Sunday, July 19.

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