Lake Livingston
Encyclopedia
Lake Livingston is a reservoir
located in the East Texas
Piney Woods
. Lake Livingston was built, and is owned and operated, by the Trinity River Authority
of Texas (TRA) under contract with the City of Houston
for water supply purposes. The lake is the largest lake constructed for water supply purposes located totally within the State of Texas
. The Livingston Dam, constructed across the Trinity River approximately 7 miles (11 km) southwest of the city of Livingston
is 2.5 miles (4 km) in length and has an average depth of 55 feet (17 m).
The lake construction was paid for by the sale of revenue bonds that were to be redeemed with income derived from the sale of water. The dam construction began in 1966 and was completed in 1969, by Forrest and Cotton, Incorporated. The cost to build the earthen dam was US$
83,996,957.
Basin and the Houston/Galveston metropolitan area. Its significance in the face of the extraordinary growth experienced by this region of the Upper Texas Gulf Coast is tremendous. A wide range of public and commercial recreation facilities including full service marinas, camping and motel accommodations are located along the shoreline. The City of Houston owns two-thirds of the water rights of the lake, with the other 1/3 remaining under control of the TRA.
). The dam has a spillway crest elevation of 99 feet (30 m) above mean sea level. The average base width of the Dam's earthen embankment is 310 feet (94 m) wide. The spillway is designed and constructed to pass flows of three times the maximum-recorded flow of the river at this site.
Lake Livingston has a surface area of 83,000 acres (360 km²) and impounds 1750000 acre.ft of water at its normal pool elevation of 131 feet (40 m) above mean sea level. The average depth of the lake is 23 feet (7 m) with a maximum depth of 90 feet (27 m). Lake Livingston has more than 450 miles (724.2 km) of shoreline extending into San Jacinto, Polk, Walker
, and Trinity Counties.
caused waves up to 4 feet (1 m) in height to pound against the Lake Livingston dam. As a result, 11,000 feet (3.4 km) of large protective stones, or riprap
, was stripped from the upstream face of the dam. To repair the damage the Trinity River Authority
lowered the lake's pool level by 4 feet to 127 feet, preventing any further erosion of the exposed earthen embankment. The Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) and the City of Houston footed the $9.6 million repair bill and awarded the repair contract to Archer Western Contractors. Over the course of the repair movement of 72,215 tons of 32 inch rock in 3,183 truckloads and 15,808 tons of eight-inch (200 mm) bedding rock in 687 truckloads was required. The rock was mined from a quarry in Navarro County near Corsicana. Work was largely completed by April 28, 2006, but due to a severe drought in 2006, the lake's regular pool level was not reached until the spring of 2007.
, which airs on Animal Planet
. The host, Jeremy Wade
, was searching for alligator gar
.
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...
located in the East Texas
East Texas
East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
Piney Woods
Piney Woods
The Piney Woods is a temperate coniferous forest terrestrial ecoregion in the Southern United States covering of East Texas, southern Arkansas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Oklahoma. These coniferous forests are dominated by several species of pine as well as hardwoods including hickory and...
. Lake Livingston was built, and is owned and operated, by the Trinity River Authority
Trinity River Authority
The Trinity River Authority or TRA was formed in 1955 by the Texas legislature. Its main concerns are water supply and water conservation in the Trinity River Basin. The authority extends over , including all or part of 17 counties...
of Texas (TRA) under contract with the City of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
for water supply purposes. The lake is the largest lake constructed for water supply purposes located totally within the State of 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...
. The Livingston Dam, constructed across the Trinity River approximately 7 miles (11 km) southwest of the city of Livingston
Livingston, Texas
Livingston is a town in Polk County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,433 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Polk County. Livingston was settled in 1835 as Springfield. Its name was changed to Livingston and became the county seat of Polk County in 1846.The Alabama-Coushatta...
is 2.5 miles (4 km) in length and has an average depth of 55 feet (17 m).
Construction
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
83,996,957.
Use
Water stored in the lake is used to supply industrial, municipal and agricultural needs in the lower Trinity RiverTrinity River (Texas)
The Trinity River is a long river that flows entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It rises in extreme north Texas, a few miles south of the Red River. The headwaters are separated by the high bluffs on the south side of the Red River....
Basin and the Houston/Galveston metropolitan area. Its significance in the face of the extraordinary growth experienced by this region of the Upper Texas Gulf Coast is tremendous. A wide range of public and commercial recreation facilities including full service marinas, camping and motel accommodations are located along the shoreline. The City of Houston owns two-thirds of the water rights of the lake, with the other 1/3 remaining under control of the TRA.
The Lake
The earthfill dam has a concrete spillway and was designed by Brown and Root, Incorporated (the predecessor to the modern-day KBRKBR
KBR can stand for:* KBR - American engineering and construction company* Key-based routing* Royal Library of Belgium* The ISO 639 linguistic identifier code for the Ethiopian language Kaffa ....
). The dam has a spillway crest elevation of 99 feet (30 m) above mean sea level. The average base width of the Dam's earthen embankment is 310 feet (94 m) wide. The spillway is designed and constructed to pass flows of three times the maximum-recorded flow of the river at this site.
Lake Livingston has a surface area of 83,000 acres (360 km²) and impounds 1750000 acre.ft of water at its normal pool elevation of 131 feet (40 m) above mean sea level. The average depth of the lake is 23 feet (7 m) with a maximum depth of 90 feet (27 m). Lake Livingston has more than 450 miles (724.2 km) of shoreline extending into San Jacinto, Polk, Walker
Walker County, Texas
Walker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 67,861. Its county seat is Huntsville.Initially, Walker County was named for Robert J. Walker, a legislator from Mississippi who introduced into the United States Congress the resolution to annex Texas...
, and Trinity Counties.
Flood control
Lake Livingston was built with no flood control capabilities/flood storage capabilities, and because of this all water entering the lake whether it be from rainfall or inflow, must exit the lake as increase intake occurs. Flow through the dam is controlled by 12 tainter gates in a concrete and steel spillway that has an average depth of 55 feet. Operations of the spillway mirror river flows, so within a relative short period of time of increase of river flow discharge is increased, and vice versa.Hurricane Rita
On September 23, 2005, rain and winds from Hurricane RitaHurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
caused waves up to 4 feet (1 m) in height to pound against the Lake Livingston dam. As a result, 11,000 feet (3.4 km) of large protective stones, or riprap
Riprap
Riprap — also known as rip rap, rubble, shot rock or rock armour or "Rip-rap" — is rock or other material used to armor shorelines, streambeds, bridge abutments, pilings and other shoreline structures against scour, water or ice erosion.It is made from a variety of rock types, commonly granite or...
, was stripped from the upstream face of the dam. To repair the damage the Trinity River Authority
Trinity River Authority
The Trinity River Authority or TRA was formed in 1955 by the Texas legislature. Its main concerns are water supply and water conservation in the Trinity River Basin. The authority extends over , including all or part of 17 counties...
lowered the lake's pool level by 4 feet to 127 feet, preventing any further erosion of the exposed earthen embankment. The Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) and the City of Houston footed the $9.6 million repair bill and awarded the repair contract to Archer Western Contractors. Over the course of the repair movement of 72,215 tons of 32 inch rock in 3,183 truckloads and 15,808 tons of eight-inch (200 mm) bedding rock in 687 truckloads was required. The rock was mined from a quarry in Navarro County near Corsicana. Work was largely completed by April 28, 2006, but due to a severe drought in 2006, the lake's regular pool level was not reached until the spring of 2007.
Entertainment References
Lake Livingston was featured on the third episode of the first season of the television show, River MonstersRiver Monsters
River Monsters is a documentary television series that airs on Animal Planet, hosted by Jeremy Wade and produced by Icon Films of Bristol, UK. The first season aired from 5 April to 17 May 2009. A second season began airing on 25 April 2010...
, which airs on Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
. The host, Jeremy Wade
Jeremy Wade
Jeremy John Wade is a British biologist, television presenter, extreme angler and writer specializing in travel and natural history. He is best known for his television series River Monsters, produced by Icon Films...
, was searching for alligator gar
Alligator gar
The Alligator Gar , Atractosteus spatula, is a primitive ray-finned fish. Unlike other Gars, the mature Alligator Gar possesses a dual row of large teeth in the upper jaw. Its name derives from the alligator-like appearance of these teeth along with the fish's elongated snout...
.