Lake Travis, August, 2015. Photo courtesy of Victor Tran, LCRA.

Beautiful Lake Travis is the largest of the six Highland Lakes along the lower Colorado River in Texas. At more than 63 miles long, the lake winds its way through the picturesque Hill Country, ending at Mansfield Dam northwest of Austin. Though Lake Travis offers excellent recreational opportunities for boating, swimming and fishing, its purpose is to capture and store water for the region’s water supply. It also is the only one of the Highland Lakes built to store floodwaters. The Lower Colorado River Authority manages the lakes through a system of dams that also are used to create hydroelectricity. Together, the Highland Lakes provide water for more than a million people, for businesses and industries, the environment, and agriculture. When this photo was taken in late August, Lake Travis had not fully recovered from a multiyear historic drought.

This photo was taken above Lake Travis near The OASIS restaurant on Lake Travis by Victor Tran of the Lower Colorado River Authority.