Medina Lake has hit a historic low, and the situation looks dire for the Hill Country reservoir west of San Antonio. According to ExpressNews, the reservoir's water level plummeted to 942.41 feet, marking its lowest since records began in 1997. The Texas Water Development Board data reveals that Medina Lake is only 2.7% full, a worrying statistic for local residents and businesses relying on the water source.
The lake, created from the damming of the Medina River, hasn't seen the needed rainfall to boost its levels. Even with recent downpours in the San Antonio area, this influx was insufficient to salvage the reservoir's rapidly declining water volume. So, the river upstream is barely trickling, maintaining flow rates much below the median for this time of year - a paltry 5 to 10 cubic feet per second compared to over 50 cfs, according to the ExpressNews. Still, this hasn't been near enough to combat the amounts lost through evaporation and dam outflows.
The repercussions of Medina Lake's dwindling levels extend beyond simple water measurements. The "extreme drought" lingering over the area impacts Medina, Kendall, to Kerr counties, putting a strain on agriculture, and threatening local economies dependent on tourism associated with the lake. The Bexar-Medina-Atascosa Water Control and Improvement District No. 1, which oversees the lake, distributes water to several farmers in the region, who require more than 46,000 acre-feet of water from Medina Lake for irrigation purposes.
Amidst this hydrological hitch, the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is caught in a legal limbo. They have been contracted to purchase water from the lake since 2007 but haven't taken up that water since 2015 due to low levels and poor quality. Yet, they're still shelling out millions for water that isn't being used. Last June, SAWS took legal action against BMA in hopes to escape the contract from 2007, which it inherited after absorbing the former Bexar Metropolitan District in 2012, as reported by the ExpressNews.
For Medina Lake, once a booming aquatic playground and source of life, this all circles back to a pressing need for consistent, substantial rainfall to the north and west. Without significant improvements in precipitation, Medina Lake risks shrinking further, jeopardizing the livelihoods of residents and the health of ecosystems depending on its water.
