Granger Lake
Encyclopedia
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
on the San Gabriel River
San Gabriel River (Texas)
The San Gabriel River is a river that flows through central Texas. The San Gabriel River is formed in Georgetown, Texas by the confluence of the North Fork San Gabriel and the South Fork San Gabriel, both of which originate in Burnet County. There are two major impoundments of the river: Lake...
in central 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The lake is located near the towns of Granger, Texas
Granger, Texas
Granger is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,299 at the 2000 census; it was 1,331 in the 2005 census estimate. Granger was the site for the filming of the 2010 remake of the movie True Grit.-Geography:...
and Taylor, Texas
Taylor, Texas
Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,575 at the 2000 census; it was 15,191 in the 2010 census estimate. Taylors largest employers include the Electric Reliability Council of Texas , Durcon Inc, and the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, an immigration...
in Williamson County
Williamson County, Texas
Williamson County is a county located on both the Edwards Plateau to the west, consisting of rocky terrain and hills, and Blackland Prairies in the east consising of rich, fertile farming land, The two areas are roughly bisected by Interstate 35...
. The dam, lake, and all adjacent property are managed by the Fort Worth District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The reservoir was officially impounded in 1980, and serves to provide flood control for the communities downstream. Granger Lake is a popular recreational destination.
The other reservoir on the San Gabriel River is Lake Georgetown
Lake Georgetown
Lake Georgetown is a reservoir on the north fork of the San Gabriel River in central Texas in the United States. Lake Georgetown is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir formed on the San Gabriel by the North San Gabriel Dam, which is located about three miles west of Georgetown, Texas. The...
, located upstream of Granger Lake, on the North Fork of the San Gabriel River, near Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown is a city and also the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States with a population of 47,400 at the 2010 census. Southwestern University, founded in 1840, is the oldest university in Texas and is located in Georgetown, about 1/2 mile east of the historic square...
.
Fish populations
Granger Lake has been stocked with species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Granger Lake include catfishCatfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, white bass
White bass
The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass (MoroneIt is the state fish of Oklahoma.- Range :White bass are distributed widely across the United States, particularly in the midwest. They are very abundant in Pennsylvania and the area around Lake Erie...
, and crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
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Recreational uses
In addition to maintaining the dam that creates the reservoir, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains recreational facilities at the lake. Taylor Park, Willis Creek Park, and Wilson H. Fox Park include day use areas for picnics and boat ramps for lake access.Overnight camping at both improved and primitive sites is permitted. Several designated wildlife areas border the lake, including Pecan Grove Wildlife Area, San Gabriel Wildlife Area, Sore Finger Wildlife Area, and Willis Creek Wildlife Area. Boating and fishing are very popular.