From staff reports
Lake Amistad continues to rise as floodwaters from recent heavy rains across the region make their way into the reservoir.
The lake stood at 1,055.52 feet at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to Water Data for Texas, an increase of nearly 1.6 feet in 48 hours and almost 7 feet from its average level one week ago.
The reservoir was listed at 36% full Tuesday, up from 30% a week earlier.
Amistad remains well below its conservation pool elevation of 1,117 feet, but the recent increase represents a significant change after years of persistently low lake levels.
Flooding along the Devils and Pecos rivers, both of which feed into Amistad Reservoir, has contributed substantial runoff into the lake following days of heavy rainfall across Val Verde County and surrounding areas.
Additional runoff could continue reaching the reservoir as elevated flows in the region’s rivers and tributaries work their way downstream.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Bertha continued moving across the northern Gulf of Mexico Tuesday afternoon with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. The National Hurricane Center said at 4 p.m. Tuesday the storm was moving northwest at 6 mph and was expected to turn west-northwest and then west, moving near or along the northern Gulf Coast over the next several days.
Bertha is expected to produce 2 to 4 inches of rain, with isolated totals around 6 inches, through Thursday along the central Gulf Coast from western Florida into southern Louisiana. The storm’s current forecast does not project that rainfall into the Amistad watershed, but its westward movement will continue to be watched, the National Weather Service reports.
Lake levels will continue to be closely monitored as runoff from the recent flooding continues making its way into Amistad Reservoir.
