Longhorn Dam
Encyclopedia
Longhorn Dam is a dam
located at 30.2504, -97.7135 (WGS 84
datum) on the Colorado River
within the city limits of Austin
, Texas
, USA. Longhorn Dam was built by the city of Austin and finished in 1960 as the last in a chain of Colorado River dams in central Texas started during the Great Depression
. The dam derives its name because it was the ford across the Colorado for longhorn cattle
drives as a part of the Chisholm Trail
in the late 19th century.
The dam stands 36 feet (11 m) high and runs 506 feet (154 m) across. The "reservoir impoundment length," is 5.75 miles (9.3 km), creating Lady Bird Lake (formerly called Town Lake), a freshwater lake with a surface area of 525 acres (2.1 km²) and a 12.5 miles (20.1 km) shoreline. The original purpose of Lady Bird Lake was a cooling lake
for Austin's Holly Street Power Plant, a 570 megawatt natural gas
and fuel oil
fired power plant. The plant ceased power production in September 2007, and will be deconstructed beginning in the summer of 2010.
On July 10, 2007 two teenage girls canoeing on Lady Bird Lake were sucked through the dam. The lake was closed for recreation due to record amounts of rain in the months of June and July, however the girls were unaware of the ban. Neither of the girls was hurt.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
located at 30.2504, -97.7135 (WGS 84
World Geodetic System
The World Geodetic System is a standard for use in cartography, geodesy, and navigation. It comprises a standard coordinate frame for the Earth, a standard spheroidal reference surface for raw altitude data, and a gravitational equipotential surface that defines the nominal sea level.The latest...
datum) on the Colorado River
Colorado River (Texas)
The Colorado River is a river that runs through the U.S. state of Texas; it should not be confused with the much longer Colorado River which flows from Colorado into the Gulf of California....
within the city limits of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA. Longhorn Dam was built by the city of Austin and finished in 1960 as the last in a chain of Colorado River dams in central Texas started during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The dam derives its name because it was the ford across the Colorado for longhorn cattle
Texas longhorn (cattle)
The Texas Longhorn is a breed of cattle known for its characteristic horns, which can extend to tip to tip for steers and exceptional cows, and tip to tip for bulls. Horns can have a slight upward turn at their tips or even triple twist. Texas Longhorns are known for their diverse coloring...
drives as a part of the Chisholm Trail
Chisholm Trail
The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the late 19th century to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The portion of the trail marked by Jesse Chisholm went from his southern trading post near the Red River, to his northern trading post near Kansas City, Kansas...
in the late 19th century.
The dam stands 36 feet (11 m) high and runs 506 feet (154 m) across. The "reservoir impoundment length," is 5.75 miles (9.3 km), creating Lady Bird Lake (formerly called Town Lake), a freshwater lake with a surface area of 525 acres (2.1 km²) and a 12.5 miles (20.1 km) shoreline. The original purpose of Lady Bird Lake was a cooling lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
for Austin's Holly Street Power Plant, a 570 megawatt natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
and fuel oil
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
fired power plant. The plant ceased power production in September 2007, and will be deconstructed beginning in the summer of 2010.
On July 10, 2007 two teenage girls canoeing on Lady Bird Lake were sucked through the dam. The lake was closed for recreation due to record amounts of rain in the months of June and July, however the girls were unaware of the ban. Neither of the girls was hurt.