Grapevine Lake is a
freshwater lake located in the north Texas area, approximately northwest of
Dallas,
Texas
. It was created in 1952 by the
US Army Corps of Engineers when
they
dammed Denton Creek. The lake's primary
purposes are flood control and to act as a water
reservoir, with a secondary function of providing
recreation and natural land area.
The lake's name comes from the city of
Grapevine,
Texas
, to which the lake is adjacent.
History and construction
On March 2, 1945, the U.S.
Congress approved the River & Harbors Act
of 1945 which, among many projects, provided for the construction
of Benbrook Lake, Grapevine Lake, Lavon Lake and Ray Roberts
Lake
, as well as modifications to the existing Garza Dam
for the construction of Lewisville Lake
. All the projects were for the purposes of
both flood control and navigation.
These lakes became part of an extensive
floodway system that is operated in a coordinated manner to
minimize flooding along the Trinity river
floodplain.
The
Grapevine Dam and Reservoir project, as it was
originally known, was initiated in January 1948.
Located on Denton
Creek, a tributary of the Elm Fork of the Trinity river, the
project spans both Tarrant County
and Denton County
. In this area immediately north of the City of
Grapevine, the Corps of Engineers obtained approximately
15,700 acres (63.5 km²) of land and placed easements on
another 2,200 acres (8.9 km²) to be flooded by the new
reservoir. The project was completed in June 1952, and
impounding of water began July 3, 1952.
Statistics
The dam is a
rolled earth-fill type,
28 feet (8.5 m) thick, which spans 12,850 feet (3,920 m). The crest
of the dam is located at 588 feet (179 m) above sea level. At the
dam, the original creek bed was at , making the dam approximately
tall.
The dam's
spillway is located at
approximately 560 feet
above sea
level. This gives it a flood capacity of at least 425,500
acre feet (525,000,000 m³ or 138,649.8
million
gallons), including an allowance for
the build of up sediment in the lake's bottom. Typically, the lake
is maintained near its conservation level, at , giving it a
capacity of 181,100 acre feet (223,000,000 m³ or 59,011.7 million
gallons) and a surface area of 7,280 acres (29.5 km²).
At conservation level, the lake has approximately of
shoreline.
Water rights
Three
municipalities have water rights to the lake; the city of
Grapevine, the city of Dallas, and the Dallas County Park Cities
(DCPC), which provides water to various communities in Dallas
County
.
Under its September 1953 contract, Grapevine obtained 1,250 acre
feet (1,500,000 m³) of the water in the elevations between 500 and
535 feet (152 and 163 m) above sea-level. In February 1981, the
city obtained an additional 25,000 acre feet (31,000,000 m³) in the
same elevations "until such time as this [water] is needed for
navigation purposes." In March 1953, the city of Dallas obtained
85,000 acre feet (105,000,000 m³) of the water between 500 and 535
feet (152 and 163 m), and in March 1955, DCPC obtained 50,000 acre
feet (62,000,000 m³) at the same elevations.
Recreation
Crosstimbers horse trail.
|
The north shore of Grapevine lake.
|
Parks and trails
Numerous parks surround the lake. Some of the parks are owned,
leased or maintained by the local community. Others remain in the
Corp of Engineer's control. The area contains 30 miles (50 km) of
natural surface trails including nature, biking and equestrian
trails.
Trails listed by the Corps of Engineers include the nine mile
Northshore trail, the three mile Rocky Point trail, the five mile
Crosstimbers horse trail, and the four mile Knob Hill trail.
Camping
The lake has primitive camping, prepared camping sites, and trailer
/ RV camping. Murrell park currently has tent and primitive
camping, but is undergoing an expansion to increase camping
facilities. Vineyards campground, managed by the city of Grapevine,
offers site camping, RV parking, and cabins.
Marinas and boating
There are three
marinas located on the lake,
all operated by the private company
Marinas International.
On the south shore, in Grapevine, are
Scott's Landing and
Silver Lake.
On the north shore, in Flower
Mound
, is Twin Coves. The marinas support
an active boating community on the lake; combined, the three
marinas have approximately 1,400
moorings, with land-based storage for
an additional 575 vessels.
Both the
Grapevine Sailing Club and the
United States Coast Guard
Auxiliary (Flotilla 5-11 of District 8) are based at Scott's
Landing.
Ten boat ramps provide access to the lake, of which only the two
ramps at Murrell park are controlled by the Corps of Engineers and
available for free. Of the remaining ramps:
- The
City of Trophy
Club
operates a ramp at Marshall Creek park.
- The City of Grapevine operates ramps at Meadowmere, Lakeview,
Oak Grove, and Katie's Woods parks.
- The private company Marinas International operates ramps near
Silver Lake marina and near Twin Coves marina.
The lake is also utilized by
amphibious vehicle-based tour
companies.
Fishing and hunting
The lake is home to a number of fish species, including
largemouth bass,
spotted bass,
white
bass,
white crappie, and channel
catfish. Fishing regulations of most species
are managed under statewide regulations. The exception is a 14 to
18 inch (36 to 46 cm) slot limit on largemouth bass; only bass
14 inches (36 cm) and less in length, or 18 inches
(46 cm) or more, may be retained. Daily bag limit for all
species of black bass is 5 in any combination. Murrell Park, a
premier spot for catching sand and black bass on the north shore,
was heavily damaged in the summer 2007 flood and was partially
closed.
With a
permit and in season, public hunting
is allowed in the Marshall Creek area, located at the north-west
end of the lake.
Waterfowl and small game
hunting, as well as bow hunting of feral hogs and
deer is permitted. Hunting licenses are obtained from
the state of Texas and an additional permit from the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers required.
See also
Notes and references
- Benbrook Lake history
- See Grapevine Lake Pertinent Data
- Savvy center's Grapevine Lake information
- Fort Worth Elm Fork District, List of Grapevine Lake trails
- 600 slips / 300 land at Scott's Landings, 400 / 200 at Silver
Lake, 400 / 75 at Twin Coves, per each marina's website.
- Website of Grapevine Sailing Club
External links
- Maps
- Information
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