Dive Team Inspects Aging Longhorn Dam

Divers are heading underwater to check out the condition of Longhorn Dam along Lady Bird Lake this morning.

Austin Energy has maintained the dam since 1959, when it was first built to create a cooling reservoir for the steam generators at the Holly Power Plant and ensure that the plant always had enough water to operate.


While commercial divers are inspecting the structural integrity of Longhorn Dam below the surface, the City of Austin Police and Fire Dive Team will conduct a training dive to learn how to navigate the dam as well.

Austin Energy says the 51-year-old dam is not in any danger of failing at this time, but is beginning to show signs of old age. The utility plans to make necessary replacements or upgrades to equipment over the next two years, including an already-planned upgrade to the hydraulic systems that move the two gates in the center, as well as replacing the dam's analog controls with modern digital equipment. Austin Energy will also discuss turning over responsibility for Longhorn Dam over to the Lower Colorado River Authority, which already manages the Colorado River.

Water Saving Challenge

I randomly filled out the city of Austin's online form to estimate how much water my family uses a day.  The chart takes into account showers, baths, loads of laundry, toilet flushes, minutes washing dishes, and dishwasher cycles per day.  With my guesses (how am I supposed to know exactly how many times we flush the toilet a day?!) the chart said we use 89 gallons a day.  Overtime, the numbers add up to about 2,500 gallons monthly, and more than 32,000 gallons yearly.

That's a lot.  So the city is pushing a challenge for people to save 10% of water every day.  Maybe that means one less load of laundry or dishwasher cycle.  (Does that also mean less work?!  I doubt it, unfortunately).

But what I think this boils down to is a lifestyle change.  The 3C Challenge encourages people to commit, calculate and conserve and that each person saving 10% will save 13 million gallons a day.  Calculate your own use and, if you'd like, sign the pledge.