Lake Austin

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Lake Austin
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Seen from Mount Bonnell
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Lake Austin
Location of Lake Austin in Texas
Location Austin, Texas
Coordinates 30°17.66′N97°47.18′W / 30.29433°N 97.78633°W / 30.29433; -97.78633
Lake type Hydroelectric reservoir
Part ofThe Texas Highland Lakes
Primary inflows Colorado River (from Lake Travis)
Primary outflows Colorado River (into Lady Bird Lake)
Basin  countriesUnited States
Managing agency Lower Colorado River Authority
Built1939 (1939)
Surface area 1,599 acres (647 ha)
Max. depth75 ft (23 m)
Surface elevation492 ft (150 m) above sea level

Lake Austin, formerly Lake McDonald, is a water reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas. The reservoir was formed in 1939 by the construction of Tom Miller Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Lake Austin is one of the seven Highland Lakes created by the LCRA, and is used for flood control, electrical power generation, and recreation.

Contents

Hydrology

Lake Austin under the Pennybacker Bridge Lake Austin Pennybacker Bridge.JPG
Lake Austin under the Pennybacker Bridge

Lake Austin is a part of Texas' Colorado River; it begins below Mansfield Dam and is principally fed by the outflow of Lake Travis. The lake meanders generally from northwest to southeast, with few significant tributaries; the largest are Bull Creek, entering from the north near where Loop 360 spans the lake at the Pennybacker Bridge, and Bee Creek, entering from the west just above Tom Miller Dam, where the lake ends. Its outflow through Tom Miller Dam then becomes the principal inflow for Lady Bird Lake.

Lake Austin is maintained as a constant-level lake by releases of water from Lake Travis upstream. The other Highland Lake reservoirs on the Colorado River are Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, and Lake Travis upstream, and Lady Bird Lake downstream.

History

The first lake on the same site was named Lake McDonald, a reservoir formed by the construction of Austin Dam between 1890 and 1893. In 1900 a heavy rainstorm overwhelmed and destroyed the first Austin Dam, causing extensive flooding. The dam began to be rebuilt in 1915, but repairs were abandoned because of a contract dispute, and the unfinished dam was again destroyed in a heavy storm later that year. In 1938 the Lower Colorado River Authority began building the Tom Miller Dam; the dam was completed and the lake filled in 1939. [1]

Recreational uses

Lake Austin is a popular fishing and boating destination.

Boating

Numerous companies rent out sailboats, motorboats, jet skis/waverunners, canoes, pontoon boats, and large party boats in the Austin area. [2]

The Austin Parks and Recreation Department offers classes in canoeing, kayaking, and sailing. [2]

Fish and wildlife populations

Lake Austin has been stocked with several species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. The lake is considered to have an excellent stock of largemouth bass. [3] Other fish present include catfish and sunfish.

Lake Austin is one of the Texas Highland Lakes infested with hydrilla, a non-native aquatic plant species. The Lower Colorado River Authority has intentionally lowered the water levels in the lake in the months of January and February so that freezing air temperatures might destroy substantial portions of the hydrilla in the lake each winter. As of March 2014, hydrilla has been completely eliminated from the lake through the stocking of Asian grass carp by the City of Austin. [4] As of September 2016 the grass carp released into Lake Austin have begun to devastate the lake’s natural resources. This has led to a decline in the wildlife native to this section of the Colorado River. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Colorado River Authority</span> Public utility in Texas that manages the lower Colorado River

The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is a nonprofit public utility created in November 1934 by the Texas Legislature. LCRA's mission is to enhance the lives of the Texans it serves through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA provides public power, manages the lower Colorado River, builds and operates transmission lines, owns public parks, and offers community services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Bird Lake</span> Reservoir in Austin, Texas, United States

Lady Bird Lake is a river-like reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas, United States. The City of Austin created the reservoir in 1960 as a cooling pond for a new city power plant. The lake, which has a surface area of 416 acres (168 ha), is now used primarily for recreation and flood control. The reservoir is named in honor of former First Lady of the United States Lady Bird Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Travis</span> Reservoir in central Texas, USA

Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado River in central Texas in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado River (Texas)</span> River in Texas, United States

The Colorado River is an approximately 862-mile (1,387 km) long river in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the 11th longest river in the United States and the longest river with both its source and its mouth within Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Highland Lakes</span>

The Texas Highland Lakes are a chain of fresh water reservoirs in Central Texas formed by dams on the lower Colorado River. The Texas Colorado River winds southeast from West Texas to Matagorda Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Marble Falls</span> Hydroelectric reservoir near Marble Falls, Texas

Lake Marble Falls is a reservoir on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1951 by the construction of Max Starcke Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Originally named Marble Falls Dam, the dam was renamed in 1962 for Max Starcke, the second general director of the LCRA. Located near the city of Marble Falls, the lake is used as a venue for aquatic recreation and for the purpose of generating hydroelectric power. It is the newest and smallest of the Texas Highland Lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Miller Dam</span> Dam in Texas, United States

Tom Miller Dam is a dam located on the Colorado River within the city limits of Austin, Texas, United States. The City of Austin, aided by funds from the Public Works Administration, constructed the dam for the purpose of flood control and for generating hydroelectric power. Named after Robert Thomas Miller, a former Mayor of Austin, the dam forms Lake Austin, one of the Texas Highland Lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Lyndon B. Johnson</span> Reservoir in the United States

Lake Lyndon B. Johnson is a reservoir on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country about 45 miles northwest of Austin. The reservoir was formed in 1950 by the construction of Granite Shoals Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). The Colorado River and the Llano River meet in the northern portion of the lake at Kingsland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inks Lake</span> Hydroelectric reservoir in Texas, United States

Inks Lake is a reservoir on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1938 by the construction of Inks Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Located near Burnet, Texas, the lake serves to provide flood control in tandem with Lake Buchanan and features the smallest hydroelectric power plant on the Highland Lakes chain. Inks Lake was named for Roy B. Inks, one of the original board members of the Lower Colorado River Authority, and serves as a venue for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, swimming, camping, and picnicking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Buchanan (Texas)</span> Man-made lake in Texas, United States

Lake Buchanan was formed by the construction of Buchanan Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority to provide a water supply for the region and to provide hydroelectric power. Buchanan Dam, a structure over 2 mi (3.2 km) in length, was completed in 1939. Lake Buchanan was the first of the Texas Highland Lakes to be formed, and with 22,333 acres of surface water, it is also the largest. The surface of the lake includes area in both Burnet and Llano Counties. The lake is west of the city of Burnet, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake McQueeney</span> Hydroelectric reservoir in Guadalupe County, Texas

Lake McQueeney is a reservoir on the Guadalupe River located 5 miles (8 km) west of Seguin in Guadalupe County, Texas, United States. It was formed in 1928 by the construction of a dam to provide hydroelectric power to the area. Management of the dam and lake was assumed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority on May 1, 1963. Its prominent feature is Treasure Island, a residential area that has been subjected to major flooding in 1972, 1998, and 2002. Most of it is approximately 10 feet (3 m) deep, with deeper sections along the center channel of the river. It is a venue for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, and swimming, and is maintained at a constant level year round. Amid concerns of aging dams along the lower Guadalupe River, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority announced that four lakes will be drained including lake McQueeny beginning Sept 16th (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amistad Reservoir</span> Hydroelectric reservoir in Coahuila, Mexico

Amistad Reservoir is a reservoir on the Rio Grande at its confluence with the Devils River 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Del Rio, Texas. The lake is bounded by Val Verde County on the United States side of the international border and by the state of Coahuila on the Mexican side of the border; the American shoreline forms the Amistad National Recreation Area. The reservoir was formed in 1969 by the construction of Amistad Dam. The dam and lake are managed jointly by the governments of the United States and Mexico through the International Boundary and Water Commission. The name of the dam and lake is the Spanish word for "friendship". The reservoir is also known as Lake Amistad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inks Lake State Park</span> State park in Texas, United States

Inks Lake State Park is a state park located in Burnet County, Texas, United States, next to Inks Lake on the Colorado River. The landscape of the park is hilly, with many cedar, live oak, prickly pear cacti, and yuccas. The ground is rocky, mainly consisting of gneiss rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Walter E. Long</span> Lake of the United States

Lake Walter E. Long is a power plant cooling reservoir on Decker Creek in Austin, Texas. The reservoir was officially impounded in 1967 and serves to provide water for turbines used in the production of electricity from petroleum-based fuels. The dam and the lake are managed by the City of Austin. Surrounding Lake Walter E. Long is the city of Austin's Lake Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park, a popular recreational destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Bastrop</span> Power plant cooling reservoir in Bastrop County, Texas

Lake Bastrop is a reservoir on Spicer Creek in the Colorado River basin 3 miles (5 km) northeast of the town of Bastrop in central Bastrop County, Texas, United States. The reservoir was formed in 1964 by the construction of a dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. The lake serves primarily as a power plant cooling pond for the Sim Gideon Power Plant operated by the LCRA and the Lost Pines Power Project 1, owned by GenTex Power Corporation, a wholly owned affiliate of the LCRA. Lake Bastrop also serves as a venue for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, swimming, camping and picnicking, and is maintained at a constant level year round.

Lake Gonzales is a reservoir on the Guadalupe River 4 miles (6 km) southeast of the town of Belmont in Gonzales County, Texas. The reservoir was formed in 1931 by the construction of a dam to provide hydroelectric power to the area. Management of the dam and lake was assumed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority on May 1, 1963.

Lake Placid is a reservoir on the Guadalupe River one-half mile (0.80 km) southwest of the town of Seguin in Guadalupe County, Texas. The reservoir was formed in 1928 by the construction of a dam on the river. Management of the dam and lake was assumed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority on May 1, 1963. Lake Placid is a venue for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, and swimming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Wood</span> Hydroelectric reservoir in Gonzales County, Texas

Lake Wood was a reservoir on the Guadalupe River 4 miles (6 km) west of the town of Gonzales in Gonzales County, Texas. The reservoir was formed in 1931 by the construction of a dam to provide hydroelectric power to the area. Management of the dam and lake was assumed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority on May 1, 1963. Lake Wood served as a venue for outdoor recreation, including fishing and boating.

Lake Athens is a 1,799 acre reservoir located to the east of Athens, Texas in Henderson County.

References

  1. ↑ "LAKE AUSTIN (TRAVIS COUNTY)". Handbook of Texas Online . Texas State Historical Association. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 Hylton, Hilary (1999). Insiders' Guide to Austin. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   9780762755684.
  3. ↑ "Lake Austin". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department . Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Hydrilla plant gone from Lake Austin". KVUE . 27 October 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Grass Carp Ate All the Plants in Lake Austin. Now the City Wants Them Gone". www.kut.org. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
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