Water Levels on Lake Worth

People frequently ask "how high can the water go?"  There are several answers to this question.  To understand the "elevations" of the lake, we first need to talk about the dam.

While the top of the dam is at 594 feet above sea level, the original 1914 design drawings called for the crest elevation (the highest water) to be 606.3. In 1997 the crest elevation of the dam's embankment was raised to 609.5 ft. so that the spillway could pass the probable maximum flood without the dam's embankments being overtopped.

The lake has never come anywhere near the 609.5 level.  According to some records, the highest crest was in 1990 when the lake reached 598.7.

Here are the "official" lake levels:

594 - Normal Pool (full to the top of the dam)
597 - Minor Flood Stage
598 - Moderate Flood Stage
598.7 - Recorded high (1990)

Here are some historic high levels:

1990     598.7 - flood stage
2004     597.8 - flood stage
2007     596.1 - 11" under flood stage

At the 596 level, many docks are underwater and some of the homes on the lake are near to getting water in them.

If you live on the lake or are considering a purchase, you should understand the possible implications of high water.  It's not a matter of "if" but "when."

(Photo by Angie Myrick Thomas 2015)

Dear Charlie Geren - PLEASE HELP! TXDOT is trashing our neighborhood!

5/8/2015 UPDATE:  TXDOT says they will have the site cleared by "mid-Summer."  TXDOT said they wanted to continue using the site on a "temporary basis."  The neighborhood clearly communicated to TXDOT, Charlie Geren's office, and Dennis Shingleton's office that the neighborhood will vigorously oppose any further industrial use of the site - whether the use is permanent or "temporary."

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Over the past decade, the neighbors around Lake Worth have put enormous effort into revitalizing the area.  Things we have accomplished: $20m dredging of the lake, $80m water and sewer projects, $18m bicycle trails around the lake (underway), numerous park improvements.

One historic park, Love Circle Park, has been the focus of enormous effort.  Eight years ago, the park looked derelict.  Over that time, we have cleaned the park of debris and planted 200 trees.  A jogging trail is scheduled to be installed in 2016.

However, during that time, TXDOT has increasingly used the highway easement adjacent to the park as an industrial staging area.  TXDOT's activity is undermining our neighborhood's efforts at revitalization.  The TXDOT mess on the highway communicates to the public that no one cares about the neighborhood.  This is not true.

We now respectfully ask the Honorable Representative Charlie Geren for help.  We ask that he instruct TXDOT to cease from using our neighborhood as a staging ground.  Remove the equipment.  Remove the gravel. Remove the barriers.  Return our neighborhood to us.  With all due respect to TXDOT and its important functions, this is our neighborhood. We care about it.

Above, I have included a video.  Below, I have a map with the TXDOT area circled in red and pictures of the mess.  (The area is just west of where Jacksboro Highway crosses Lake Worth.) As you can see, when the satellite picture was taken, there were only a couple of objects there.  Today, the area now looks like a full blown industrial site.  Not only is this area in a neighborhood, it represents the "Gateway to Lake Worth."  With 50,000 people going by this each day, this area creates the impression most people have of the lake area.   This mess is the first impression for anyone visiting the lake or the the Fort Worth Nature Center.

Here is beautiful Love Circle Park, just behind the TXDOT mess.