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This article was first published on July 18, 2026 by CBS Austin and curated for The Austin readers.

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Recent rain forcing massive amounts of water through Starcke Dam

Summary by The Austin Editorial Desk · As published by CBS Austin · July 18, 2026 · 1 min read

Photo: CBS Austin · view original

Recent rainfall has led to a significant influx of water into the Highland Lakes system in Central Texas. As a result, multiple dams have been forced to open their floodgates to manage the excess water. The Starcke Dam is one of the dams that has opened its floodgates.

A large volume of water is currently passing through the dam. Further information on the situation is available from CBS Austin, including any updates on the floodgates and water levels in the Highland Lakes system.

Why this matters

Local news anchors readers in their community — the people, places, and decisions that shape day-to-day life. The Austin covers these stories because national outlets often won't.

About this story

As published by CBS Austin. The Austin surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page.

For the complete original report, visit CBS Austin. Have a tip or correction? Contact our newsroom.

Category: local · Published: July 18, 2026 · Source: CBS Austin · Reading time: 1 min

Summary created by	The Austin Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed
Published by	CBS Austin
Original story	Read at the source
Source published	Jul 18, 2026
Indexed here	Jul 21, 2026
AI assistance	Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text
Prepublication human review	No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples

Recent rain forcing massive amounts of water through Starcke Dam

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