Lake Gonzales is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

on the Guadalupe River 4 miles (6 km) southeast of the town of Belmont in

Gonzales County Gonzales County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, adjacent to Greater Austin-San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,653. The county is named for its county seat, the city of Gonzales. The county was created in 1836 a ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. The reservoir was formed in 1931 by the construction of a dam to provide

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

power to the area. Management of the dam and lake was assumed by the

Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority or GBRA was formed in 1933 by the Texas legislature. Its main concerns are water supply and water conservation in the Guadalupe River Basin, which includes the Blanco, Comal, and San Marcos rivers. The authori ...

on May 1, 1963. Lake Gonzales is also known locally as H-4 Reservoir or Guadalupe Reservoir H-4. On August 3, 2021, the hydroelectric dam at Lake Gonzales in Gonzales County experienced a spillgate failure during normal operation. As a result, the lake lost 12 feet of water, leaving what were formerly waterfront homes and lakeside docks dry. It remains unknown how the dam might be repaired, or if it can be repaired. Until the spillway failure, Lake Gonzales was maintained at a constant level year round, and provided a popular destination for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, swimming, camping and picnicking.

Fish and plant life

Lake Gonzales has been stocked with species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Lake Gonzales include

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) 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 three largest species alive, ...

, white

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxis'' ...

, sunfish, sunfish, and

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

. Vegetation in the lake includes

cattail ''Typha'' is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrush or reedmace, in American English as reed, cattail, or punks, in A ...

pondweed Pondweed refers to many species and genera of aquatic plants and green algae: *''Potamogeton'', a diverse and worldwide genus *''Elodea'', found in North America *''Aponogeton'', in Africa, Asia and Australasia *''Groenlandia'', a genus of aquatic ...

American lotus ''Nelumbo lutea'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. Common names include American lotus, yellow lotus, water-chinquapin, and volée. It is native to North America. The botanical name ''Nelumbo lutea'' Willd. is the c ...

spatterdock ''Nuphar advena'' (spatterdock or cow lily or yellow pond-lily) is a species of ''Nuphar ''Nuphar'' is a genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae, with a temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere distribution. Common names include w ...

, rushes,

water hyacinth ''Pontederia crassipes'' (formerly ''Eichhornia crassipes''), commonly known as common water hyacinth is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive outside its native range.water lettuce ''Pistia'' is a genus of aquatic plants in the arum family, Araceae. It is the sole genus in the tribe ''Pistieae'' which reflects its systematic isolation within the family. The single species it comprises, ''Pistia stratiotes'', is often cal ...

, and

hydrilla ''Hydrilla'' (waterthyme) is a genus of aquatic plant Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from ...

. The water hyacinth, lettuce and hydrilla are invasive species that have caused problems previously, although nowadays the issues are minimal.

Recreational uses

Although there are no public parks on the shore of Lake Gonzales, a public access boat ramp is accessible from

U.S. Highway 90A U.S. Highway 90 Alternate is an alternate route to U.S. Highway 90 in the U.S. state of Texas, running from west of Seguin east via Seguin, Gonzales, Hallettsville, Eagle Lake, Rosenberg and Sugar Land to northeastern Houston. South of Dow ...

References

External links

Lake Gonzales (H4)
- Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
Lake Gonzales - Texas Parks & WildlifeLake Gonzales
- Handbook of Texas Online {{authority control

Gonzales Gonzales may refer to: Places * Gonzales, California, U.S. * Gonzales, Louisiana, U.S. * Gonzales, Texas, U.S. * Gonzales County, Texas Other uses * Battle of Gonzales, 1835 * Gonzales (horse) (1977 – after 1996), an American-bred Thoroughbred ...

Protected areas of Gonzales County, Texas Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority Bodies of water of Gonzales County, Texas