What 1,018.32 ft means on Lake Buchanan

Public boat ramps · sorted by minimum level

• Cedar Point Recreation Areausable

  min 1,007.00 ftcloses 11.32 ft lower

  LCRA

• Buchanan Dam Parkusable

  min 1,004.00 ftcloses 14.32 ft lower

  Burnet County · Beach launch may be available at lower levels.

• Llano County Parkusable

  min 1,003.00 ftcloses 15.32 ft lower

  Llano County

• Burnet County Park (White Bluff)usable

  min 993.00 ftcloses 25.32 ft lower

  Burnet County Pct. 1

Minimum usable elevations: LCRA public boat ramp information (retrieved 2026-07-07). Conditions change, so check with the operator before towing a boat out. Lakes may be closed to boating during floods.

What each level means

Approximate. Based on published thresholds (ramp minimums, full pool, spillway, records), but every cove is different.

1. Over the spillwayabove 1,020.35 ft

   Above 1,020.35 ft water passes Buchanan Dam's overflow spillway; flood operations are underway. It happened in 18 different years between 1938 and 1992; the record is 1,021.40 ft (Dec 20, 1991).

2. Near full1,012.00–1,020.35 ftnow · 1,018.32 ft

   All public ramps usable; the lake is at or near its 1,020 ft full mark. Buchanan is wide and shallow, so levels move slowly.

3. First pinch points1,004.00–1,012.00 ft

   Cedar Point (1,007 ft) closes in this range and shorelines pull back noticeably on the flats.

4. Widespread low-water impact993.00–1,004.00 ft

   Buchanan Dam Park (1,004) and Llano County Park (1,003) close; White Bluff (993) becomes the last public ramp.

5. Severe drawdownbelow 993.00 ft

   No public ramps usable. For scale: the 2008–16 drought bottomed at 985.27 ft; the record low is 983.70 ft (Sep 9, 1952).