Inks Lake
Encyclopedia
Inks Lake is a reservoir
on the Colorado River
in the Texas Hill Country
in the United States
. The reservoir was formed in 1938 by the construction of Inks Dam
by the Lower Colorado River Authority
. Located near Burnet, Texas
, the lake serves to provide flood
control in tandem with Lake Buchanan and features the smallest hydroelectric power plant on the Highland Lakes
chain. Inks Lake was named for Roy B. Inks, one of the original board members of the Lower Colorado River Authority, and serves as a venue for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, swimming, camping, and picnicking.
The other reservoirs on the Colorado River
are Lake Buchanan, Lake LBJ
, Lake Marble Falls
, Lake Travis
, Lake Austin
, and Lady Bird Lake.
, white bass
, catfish
, crappie
, and sunfish
. Inks Lake is a level-controlled reservoir with less than one foot (one third meter) variation in water level annually.
is adjacent to the lake and includes facilities for camping, backpacking, swimming, golf, and boat access. Cliff jumping is another water activity locals and visitors enjoy at "Devil's Water Hole" located within the confines of Inks Lake State Park on Inks Lake. In the 1990s and early 2000s, a fish restaurant was permanently moored adjacent to an RV park on a barge. The restaurant is closed, however the RV park remains. Camp Longhorn, a summer camp for boys and girls founded by Tex Robertson
, is adjacent to the lake.
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 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....
in the Texas Hill Country
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The reservoir was formed in 1938 by the construction of Inks Dam
Inks Dam
Inks Dam was constructed from 1936 to 1938 and forms Inks Lake, one of the seven Texas Highland Lakes. The dam is located at 30.7307 -98.3842 about west-southwest of Burnet, Texas. It was constructed to provide hydroelectric power, and helps buffer the large changes in water flow Buchanan Dam, ...
by the Lower Colorado River Authority
Lower Colorado River Authority
The Lower Colorado River Authority or LCRA is a nonprofit public utility that was created in November 1934 by the Texas Legislature. LCRA's mission is to protect people, property and the environment by providing public services for more than one million people in Central and Southeast Texas...
. Located near Burnet, Texas
Burnet, Texas
Burnet is a city in and the county seat of Burnet County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,735 at the 2000 census.Both the city and the county were named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas. He also served as Vice President during the...
, the lake serves to provide flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
control in tandem with Lake Buchanan and features the smallest hydroelectric power plant on the Highland Lakes
Texas Highland Lakes
The Texas Highland Lakes is a chain of seven reservoirs in Central Texas formed by several dams on the Colorado River. This portion of the river winds southeast from its headwaters near the border of Texas and New Mexico to Matagorda Bay and the Gulf of Mexico...
chain. Inks Lake was named for Roy B. Inks, one of the original board members of the Lower Colorado River Authority, and serves as a venue for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, swimming, camping, and picnicking.
The other reservoirs 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....
are Lake Buchanan, Lake LBJ
Lake LBJ
Lake Lyndon B. Johnson is a reservoir on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1950 by the construction of Granite Shoals Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. The Colorado River and the Llano River meet in the northern portion of the...
, Lake Marble Falls
Lake Marble Falls
Lake Marble Falls is a reservoir on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1951 by the construction of Max Starcke Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Originally named Marble Falls Dam, the dam was renamed in 1962 for Max Starcke, the...
, Lake Travis
Lake Travis
Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado River in central Texas in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1942 by the construction of Mansfield Dam on the western edge of Austin, Texas by the Lower Colorado River Authority...
, Lake Austin
Lake Austin
Lake Austin is a reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1939 by the construction of Tom Miller Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority....
, and Lady Bird Lake.
Fish and wildlife populations
Inks Lake has been stocked with several species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Inks Lake include largemouth bassLargemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, 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...
, catfish
Catfish
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...
, 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...
, and sunfish
Centrarchidae
The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...
. Inks Lake is a level-controlled reservoir with less than one foot (one third meter) variation in water level annually.
Recreational uses
Some of the property bordering Inks Lake is privately owned. Inks Lake State ParkInks Lake State Park
Inks Lake State Park is a state park located in Burnet County, Texas, United States, next to Inks Lake on the Colorado River. The landscape of the park is hilly, with many cedar, live oak, prickly pear cacti, and yuccas. The ground is rocky, mainly consisting of gneiss rock.Devil's Waterhole is a...
is adjacent to the lake and includes facilities for camping, backpacking, swimming, golf, and boat access. Cliff jumping is another water activity locals and visitors enjoy at "Devil's Water Hole" located within the confines of Inks Lake State Park on Inks Lake. In the 1990s and early 2000s, a fish restaurant was permanently moored adjacent to an RV park on a barge. The restaurant is closed, however the RV park remains. Camp Longhorn, a summer camp for boys and girls founded by Tex Robertson
Tex Robertson
Julian "Tex" Robertson was an Olympic bronze medalist for the 1932 US Water Polo team and former swimming coach for the University of Texas. He is best known for inventing the flip turn.-Swimming career:...
, is adjacent to the lake.