TEXAS, USA — Over the last week, Central Texas has received quite a bit of much-needed rainfall and local lakes have seen the benefits.
One of the lakes seeing those benefits is Lake Waco, which has gone up 15 feet since Oct. 25 and is 100% full according to Water Data for Texas.
This prompted the City of Waco to lift all water restrictions after residents have been on stage two restrictions since 2022.
Brazos River Authority Water Services Manager Aaron Abel told 6 News when there's a severe drought, heavy rainfall usually follows.
"The constant rain since Thursday has prompted a lot of reservoirs to receive more water and it's been a big help," Abel shared.
Stillhouse Hollow Lake and Belton Lake have gone up several feet as well in the past week.
"We've seen about 25,000 acre-feet of water move into Lake Belton since last Thursday. That's over eight-point-one billion gallons," Abel continued.
While it is a positive in comparison to this summer's water levels, Abel says it's far from where those lakes need to be to be in a safe zone.
Both Stillhouse Hollow Lake and Belton Lake are at least 16 feet below safe levels, so cities that rely on these water sources will likely remain on water restrictions.
"We still need additional rainfall to help see those lake level increases as we move forward," Abel said.
Jessica Sellers, spokesperson with the City of Waco, says they expect nearby cities in McLennan County to follow suit with lifting restrictions.
"We do have some cities that are like customers of ours that we sell water to," Sellers said. "Those cities are supposed to kind of follow our lead as far as the restrictions, but they do get to make their own kind of rules."
While the City of Waco is happy for restrictions to be lifted, they're still conserving as much water as possible to prepare for the next drought.
Residents currently under water restrictions are still suggested to follow those orders until the City informs them otherwise.
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