Rains from the last six weeks have pushed parched lake levels back close to normal in Lake Belton and slightly above normal in Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir.
Lake Belton broke a benchmark Wednesday when the lake level stood at 590.10 feet above mean sea level. This put it 3.9 feet below its normal level of 594 feet.
The last time the lake was recorded at 4 feet below normal was on July 20. So it was great news Wednesday when it crossed that threshold again - heading up this time.
Stillhouse stood at 622.44 Wednesday, placing it about one-third foot above its normal stage of 622 feet.
What this means to boaters and fishermen in both lakes is that boat ramps and floating service docks that were high and dry just two months ago are now usable. And rocks and submerged trees and stumps don't pose the hazard they once did - although boaters are advised to always be on the lookout for navigation hazards at any time.
Dan Thomasson, spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers Little River Project at the Stillhouse Hollow Dam, said rain has made a real change in operations.
"We are actually releasing floodwater out of Stillhouse if you can believe that," Thomasson said. "It has been at a rate of about 300 cubic feet per second. There is not any release from Lake Belton because it is still below conservation pool (normal level)."
Thomasson said Bell County and the Lampasas and Leon rivers watersheds have gotten a slow, soaking rain, which is healthy.
He said that causes the least amount of erosion. It saturates the soil and gives it time to permeate and let rain water penetrate into the water table where it gets the wells back up and replenishes soil moisture.
"Have you noticed how green everything turned when we started getting rain?"
"Now we are having to get the lawnmower out in October, although it's still a little too wet to mow just now," he said. "I think all the nutrients were there just waiting on the moisture to come along. When we finally got it, it went green."
Thomasson said that it's the best kind of rain for everybody all the way around.
Thomasson said Lake Belton, which has been hardest hit of the two lakes by the current drought cycle, reached its low point on Sept. 5 when it stood at 585.50 feet. That was 8.5 feet below normal.
The marked increase in water depth is a function of inflow from the two lakes' primary sources, said Thomasson. Lake Belton gets its inflow from the Leon River and Cowhouse Creek. Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir gets its inflow from the Lampasas River and possibly from hidden springs
Stillhouse sends about 27 million gallons of water a day to Lake Georgetown as part of a contract with the Brazos River Authority.
"Lake Georgetown has come up 6 feet in the last two days - partly from the water we send them and partly from river flow," Thomasson said.
Marina owners are elated.
Glenn Baker, manager of the Morgan's Point Resort Marina, said he has been busy readjusting cables that keep the floating marina in place.
"I've got 28 winches to take care of," he said.
Baker said he checks the depth daily with a dipping pole. At the height of the drought the depth was 6 feet under the gas docks, which is the shallowest part of the marina.
"I was getting ready to move the marina out to deeper water before the rains came," Baker said. "Whether the lake is going down or coming back up, it keeps me busy. During a heavy downpour I might be here half the night checking my winches."
Baker said with the recent rains he's in good shape now.
While warm weather holds out, boaters and beach goers will benefit from the reversal on water depth.
