Canyon Lake stood at 96.8% of conservation storage on Oct. 22, while the Edwards Aquifer Authority listed the San Antonio Pool at Stage 3. The two readings describe different water systems: the lake's stored surface water and the aquifer that feeds Comal Springs.
Stage 3 requires affected Edwards Aquifer permit holders in the San Antonio Pool to reduce pumping by 35%. The lake's storage percentage does not determine that aquifer pumping stage; readers should check the two agencies' readings separately.
Canyon Lake storage
The Texas Water Development Board's Oct. 22 reading put Canyon Lake at 96.8% of its conservation storage. That percentage describes how much water is stored relative to the lake's conservation capacity. It is distinct from the elevation reported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which measures the water surface in feet.
Lake elevation
At 11 p.m. CDT on Oct. 22, the Corps reported a Canyon Lake elevation of 907.51 feet, 1.49 feet below its 909-foot conservation pool. The Corps' Oct. 22 report places the lake 0.04 foot lower than 24 hours earlier. That is a small movement in elevation; it should not be read as a 0.04-percentage-point change in the storage figure reported by the state.