By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
Lake Amistad’s water level has risen nearly five feet in the past week, providing a welcome boost to Del Rio’s fisherman magnet.
As of July 4, the lake stood at 30.3 percent of capacity with a surface elevation of 1,051.02 feet above sea level. By July 11, it had climbed to 33.1 percent capacity, with the elevation reaching 1,055.90 feet, according to data from the Amistad National Recreation Area Facebook page and WaterDataForTexas.org links to Lake Amistad.
“It’s really going up, and it’s gone up now over five feet,” said Christine Donald, Amistad National Recreation Area chief of interpretation and resource management. “I thought it was going to go down through the summer but now we are in the middle of summer with the lake up.”
On this day last year, it was at 24 percent full, according to waterdatafortexas.org, a site that tracks lakes’ water levels.
The increase is largely attributed to recent rainfall and increased flows from the Rio Grande and Devils River.
Donald said the increased water level has enabled park staff to reopen Box Canyon fishing dock. “There’s no boating there now but people can fish and swim,” Donald said.
Though still well below its conservation pool of 1,117 feet, the lake is showing signs of recovery, now sitting about 62-feet below flood stage.
Donald remains cautiously optimistic, noting that while the trend is encouraging, sustained rain will be needed to significantly improve long-term storage.
A full lake, or a fuller lake, draws anglers to the area. According to Blanca Larson, Del Rio Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer, the data shows more than 800,000 people visited the Amistad National Recreation Area last year.
“Many of these visitors bought food here, gas or stayed in one of our motels,” Larson said. “Bottom line, this lake produces an economic impact to our community, and we always want to see it doing well.”
The writer can be reached at JoelaLangton@gmail.com .
