Lake Leon (Texas)

Lake Leon is located in Eastland County and was created by the State Board of Water Engineers by impounding the Leon River.[1] In reference to Abilene, Texas with a population of around 125,000, it is 68 miles (109 kilometers) east, and in reference to Eastland, Texas with a population of around 4,000, it is 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast.[1][2][3] Lake Leon is found in the Brazos River and in the Cross Timbers ecoregion, more specifically the Cross Timbers Grand Prairie ecoregion.[4][5]

Hydrology

The river which filled Lake Leon is called the Leon River which also serves as its namesake, but the drainage area is over 250 square miles (650 square kilometers).[1][4] The surface area is 736 acres (298 hectares), a maximum depth of 55 feet (17 meters), an elevation above sea level of 1,382 feet (421 meters), and a capacity of 28,042 acre-feet.[1][4] Aside from decreasing water levels due to hot, dry summer months, the water level is not susceptible to fluctuation.[1] According to the Eastland County Water Supply District, the turbidity varies from visibility to 4 feet (1.2 meters) to slightly stained.[1]

History

On July 8, 1952, the State Board of Water Engineers permitted the creation of Lake Leon.[4] On January 13, 1953, the dam started construction, and the dam was efficiently blocking the waterway by April 1954.[4] In June 1954, the dam was finished.[4] Eastland County Water Supply District still uses Lake Leon both municipally and industrially as a water sources.[4]

Recreation

Fishing

In 1975, Florida largemouth bass entered Lake Leon, and since then the reservoir has become recognized for largemouth bass tournament fishing.[1] Lake Leon also has channel catfish, sunfish, and white bass.[1] There are no fishing regulations specific to Lake Leon, so statewide regulations are all applicable.[1]

Rating of fish status in Lake Leon[1]
Species Poor Fair Good Excellent
Largemouth bass X
Catfish X
Crappie X
White bass X
Sunfish X

Boating

Lake Leon does provide a boat dock for those that wish to use their boats recreationally.[1]

Wildlife

Fauna

The most populous fish are:[1]

Flora

The most populous hydrophilic vegetations are:[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Fishing Leon Reservoir". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "2020 Census is Complete". Abilene Chamber of Commerce. August 19, 2021. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "archive.ph". archive.ph. Retrieved November 30, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Lake Leon (Brazos River Basin) | Texas Water Development Board". www.twdb.texas.gov. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  5. ^ US EPA, ORD (March 9, 2016). "Ecoregion Download Files by State - Region 6". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved November 30, 2022.

32°21′45″N 98°41′54″W / 32.36250°N 98.69833°W / 32.36250; -98.69833

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.