So far it's been a warm, dry winter.

Central Texas ended the year almost a foot behind our average rainfall, and the area's already fallen further behind at the start of 2006.

The lack of rain is starting to concern local water officials.

The drizzle in the early part of this week did nothing to alleviate a growing concern throughout the state.

Gov. Rick Perry declared all counties in Texas disaster due to drought conditions.

LCRA officials say Lake Travis is 17 feet below full capacity. The receding water has revealed more of the shoreline and closed some public boat ramps, like the one at the Cypress Creek.

The low water levels can appear a bit disconcerting to people who've never seen the lake this low, Krista Umscheid of the Lower Colorado River Authority said.

		WATCH THE VIDEO
	Lake levels A lack of rain has lake levels dropping.

"A drop of 17 feet can mean a drastic change in how the lake looks out here. There's a lot of exposed shoreline," Umscheid said.

The last time the water levels were this low was six years ago, in 2000, Umscheid said. Then, it was common to see boats stranded on islands in the middle of the lake.

"You'd hear the grinding of their propellers on the ground," she said.

Boaters could run into similar problems this spring. Since the water levels are low, the lake is more narrow, which means less space for recreational purposes.

The owner of Just For Fun watercraft rentals on Lake Travis says he hopes for a wet spring, but he doesn't think the drought-like conditions will affect his business.

"If people aren't able to access the public boat ramps, they'll be more likely to come here and rent a boat," Pete Clark said.

His boats are accessible by a marina that can be moved further out when the water levels drop.

There's no cause for alarm just yet, Umscheid said.

Boaters and people who use the water for recreational purposes will experience most immediate inconvenience from low water levels, she said.

"If these [dry] conditions continue we could be looking at Lake Travis going down another 20 feet or so by the spring. That would be a substantial change in the geography of this lake and people just need to be prepared that that could happen," Umscheid said.

LCRA has not declared an official water shortage, so municipalities that rely on the water don't have to worry about running out yet. And thanks to the previous three years' rainy weather, there is enough water in the reservoirs.

LCRA officials recommend people conserve their water usage just in case this dry weather is the beginning of a long-term drought season.