Wirtz Dam was constructed from 1949 to 1950 in tandem with Max Starcke Dam to provide hydroelectric power and to form 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...

, one of the Texas 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...

. Originally called Granite Shoals Dam, it was renamed in 1951, in honor of Alvin J. Wirtz, who had been instrumental in the formation of 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...

. The dam is located at 30.5552 -98.3381 near the city of Marble Falls, Texas

Marble Falls, Texas

Marble Falls is a city in Burnet County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,959 at the 2000 census.Marble Falls is about northwest of Austin and north of San Antonio...

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