"Built specifically to contain floodwaters" in a flash-flood prone region, Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado River in central Texas in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1942 by the construction of Mansfield Dam on the western edge of Austin, Texas by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). Highlighting its purpose, even during its construction -- after a severe flood in July 1938 -- the height of the dam was raised to add storage capacity for floodwaters.