|
Area Overview Lake Tawakoni
is a 36,700-surface-acre reservoir with a capacity of 936,200 acrefeet.
The spillway crest elevation is 437.5 feet above mean sea level. The 200-mile-long
shoreline makes its way through Rains, Hunt, and Van Zandt counties. Located
some 50 miles east of Dallas and 25 miles south of Greenville, the lake
is impounded by Iron Bridge Dam, an earthfill dam with a concrete spillway
constructed by Forrest and Cotton, engineers. The project is owned and operated
by the Sabine River Authority. Dam construction began in January 1958 and
was completed in December 1960 to provide a municipal and industrial water
supply for the communities of the area and the City of Dallas.
The area around Lake Tawakoni is rich in Native American history
having been occupied by "prehistoric Indians" and used as a stop over
for many of the historic Native American Indian tribes for which the
lake is named.
Lake Tawakoni is still a virtually undiscovered lake in
Texas. It is still clean and un-crowded, its size making it ideal for recreational
water sports. A Texas State Park opened on its shores in 2001, providing
the public campgrounds and recreational facilities that Texas State Parks
are famous for.
|
