Red Bud Isle & LCRA Redbud Center
LCRA Redbud Center
Hours: 6 AM - 5 PM Mon-Fri except holidays and emergencies
Fees: Free
Parking: Parking lot on site.
Rules: Pack it in, Pack it out. No littering, glass containers, alcohol, firearms or other types of weapons.
Redbud Isle
Hours: 5 AM - 10 PM daily
Fees: Free
Parking: Parking lot off of Redbud Trail.
Rules: Dogs are permitted off leash. No swimming. Obey posted signs.
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The Wilkerson Center for Colorado River Education is located on the grounds of the Lower Colorado River Authority's (LCRA) Redbud Center. Nearby is Tom Miller Dam that forms Lake Austin, the city’s primary source for drinking water. In 1940, the LCRA completed the dam as part of the Highland Lakes system, designed to manage floodwaters and bring electricity to the Texas Hill Country. Previous attempts to control the extreme flows of the Colorado had failed. In both1900 and 1915 previous dams were devastated by floods. Granite boulders from those structures can still be found on Red Bud Isle.
THE TOM MILLER DAM
The Tom Miller Dam began as a granite dam built to harness the power of the Colorado River for industry. In 1900, and again shortly after, floods caused the stone structure to crumble. In 1940, the LCRA completed the project, part of the Highland Lakes system designed to manage floodwaters and bring electricity to the rural Texas Hill Country.
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