Questions about disappearing water in Leander have persisted after a homeowner said the lake that normally fed the creek behind his house seemed to vanish overnight. The change left a longtime fishing spot dry and stirred concern in a community that has long used the waterway for recreation.
Here's what to know
According to KXAN, Richard Davis has lived along the creek for 29 years. He said the lake that feeds it dropped sharply in September, leaving a nearby fishing dock suspended over dry ground.
"Much to my chagrin, it was empty and I was in a state of shock. That's when I started calling the Upper Brushy Creek Water Control and Improvement District (WCID) and had a dialogue with them," Davis said.
The small lake inside Lakewood Park, northeast of U.S. 183 and south of Crystal Falls Parkway, is at the center of the dispute. Residents said the waterline fell by several feet, stranding a fishing dock and leaving a kayak rental stand unable to reach the lake.
Leander City Councilmember Stephen Chang said, "As folks know, this is a critical issue to the folks of Leander for recreational purposes and also quality of life purposes."
WCID said the decline occurred when low-flow ports at the dam were no longer covered. The district said an unauthorized party had installed those covers sometime after 2018, describing the situation as "illegal planking."
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More background
City officials, however, have disputed that explanation.
When residents sought answers about the lower lake level, city officials said WCID told them the water level Leander had long been used to "was not the right level."
Inspection reports from 2010 and 2017, along with other city records cited by KXAN, indicate the lake's customary pool level historically sat near 876 feet above sea level. The low-flow ports, by comparison, are about 872.8 feet above mean sea level.
After reviewing 4,000 documents from the WCID, city staff said they did not reach the district's conclusion about the dam's past operating level.
Davis said the water loss threatens more than his fishing routine, pointing to the large trees on his property that may now be at risk. "I've got huge, huge trees that are being deprived of their life giving source of water and if they start (dying), we're going to have a big, big problem."
What's being done?
The WCID has maintained that Dam 3 at Lakewood Park is functioning as designed.
In a statement, the district said the dam was built in 1962 "to reduce flooding and capture sediment."
The district also said raising the water level could increase flood risk for nearby homes unless it also raised the auxiliary spillway.
"Higher lake levels would require the auxiliary spillway be raised to maintain flood storage capacity and avoid downstream flooding," the statement said.
The WCID board has authorized an engineering study to examine the effects of raising the lake level on surrounding properties while still preserving flood-storage capacity.
Leander city manager Todd Parton said the city is still seeking clearer answers.
"What happened there? Was there a change in policy? Was there some other kind of public safety issue? We really haven't been able to get to those answers to this point, so we'll keep looking at that," Parton said.
Where can I learn more?
Questions about vanishing water in Leander echo fights playing out in other communities over who manages local waterways, how shifting lake and creek levels affect nearby homes, and what residents are told when conditions change. They cover disputes over creek repairs, sinking neighborhoods, dried lakebeds, water-hungry development, and contamination in major lakes.
• An HOA's large-scale creek repair project raised fears of a financial disaster for homeowners.
• In Harris County, Texas, neighborhoods continue sinking as subsidence reshapes streets and drainage.
• At California's Salton Sea, a dried-up lakebed is worsening dust for nearby communities.
• In drought-stricken Utah, new data centers drew backlash over plans to use scarce water.
• Around Lake Erie, plastic contamination in the water is driving a new documentary.
Each case shows how fast a water problem can spill into property, health and infrastructure concerns. That helps explain why Leander residents are still pressing for clearer answers about Lakewood Park.
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