Lake Ray Hubbard, formerly Eastern Dallas Lake or Forney Lake, is a

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

impoundment (

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 ...

) located in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

in the counties of

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Kaufman Kaufman or Kauffman may refer to: People * Kaufmann (surname) ''Includes Kaufman, Kauffman, Kauffmann'' Places * Kaufman, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Madison Count * Kaufman, Texas, a city in Kaufman County * Kaufman County, Texa ...

, Collin, and Rockwall, just north of the City of Forney. It was created by the construction of the Rockwall-Forney Dam, which impounded the East Fork Trinity River. It measures in size with a storage capacity of 490,000 acre-ft (600 million m³) and a maximum depth of 40 ft (12 m). The dam is currently owned by the

City of Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

I-30 i30, I30, i-30 or I-30 may refer to: *Interstate 30, an Interstate Highway in the southern United States *, an Imperial Japanese Navy submarine during World War II * (1940-1968), a Royal Australian Navy ''Tribal''-class destroyer *I30, a 9000 serv ...

crosses the lake on the Eastern Dallas Causeway. The lake was originally named Forney Lake for the small city of Forney. After the City of Dallas incorporated the lake, it was renamed after a living person, Lake Ray Hubbard, who presided over the Dallas Parks and Recreation System board from 1943 to 1972. The reservoir is currently managed and owned by

Dallas Water Utilities Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) is the water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hyd ...

History

Originally designed to provide water to the North Texas region, the project was started in 1964 and managed by the S. and A. Construction Company and the Markham, Brown and M. C. Winter Construction Company. The lake was impounded in 1968, and a earthfill

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

was completed in 1969. By 1970, the lake reached its maximum design extent. Due to the territorial expansion and exercise of the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Dallas, the lake and the

Interstate 30 Interstate 30 (I-30) is a Interstate Highway in the southern states of Texas and Arkansas in the United States. I-30 travels from I-20 west of Fort Worth, Texas, northeast via Dallas, and Texarkana, Texas, to I-40 in North Little Rock, Ar ...

(I-30) bridges are now within the jurisdiction of the City of Dallas, rather than the cities surrounding it. A mutual-aid agreement is in place between Dallas and the other cities, but ultimate responsibility lies with Dallas. Several areas of the lake have been infested with

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 ...

. Because of its location in a densely populated area, the lake is crossed by several bridges and causeways. The most significant is I-30, with six lanes on a causeway that bisects the lake, and

President George Bush Turnpike The President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT) is a toll road running through the northern, northeastern and western suburbs, forming a partial loop around Dallas, Texas, United States. It is named for the late George H. W. Bush, the 41st president ...

, the eastern expansion completed in 2012 with a bridge spanning the Rowlett Creek inlet. The

Texas State Highway 66 State Highway 66 (SH 66) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas, connecting Garland to Greenville. The route runs roughly parallel to Interstate 30, passing through Rowlett, Rockwall, Fate, Royse City, and Caddo Mills. It also cross ...

bridge was constructed in the 1970s and twinned in the early 2000s, joining Rowlett and Rockwall, and other minor bridges exist on Rowlett Road and Miller Road. Also, a railway crossing formerly operated by

Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railway was a Class I railroad company in the United States, with its last headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Established in 1865 under the name Union Pacific Railway, Southern Branch, it came to serve an extensive ra ...

, now part of

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

, crosses the Muddy Creek inlet and joins the I-30 causeway.

Fishing

The lake contains a large population of hybrid

striped bass The striped bass (''Morone saxatilis''), also called the Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, is an anadromous perciform fish of the family Moronidae found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. It has al ...

white bass The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12-15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with white s ...

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 ...

channel catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus'') is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, the ...

blue catfish The blue catfish (''Ictalurus furcatus'') is the largest species of North American catfish, reaching a length of and a weight of . The typical length is about 25–46 in (64–117 cm). The fish can live to 20 years. The native distribution ...

white crappie The white crappie (''Pomoxis annularis'') is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two species of crappies. Alternate common names for the species include goldring and silver perch. is named for the fish. The genus name ''Pomoxis ...

and black crappie .

References

External links

US Coast Guard Auxiliary Lake Ray Hubbard
*
Rush Creek Yacht Club
{{authority control Ray Hubbard Trinity River (Texas) Ray Hubbard Bodies of water of Collin County, Texas Bodies of water of Dallas County, Texas Bodies of water of Kaufman County, Texas Bodies of water of Rockwall County, Texas Protected areas of Collin County, Texas Protected areas of Dallas County, Texas Protected areas of Kaufman County, Texas Protected areas of Rockwall County, Texas 1968 establishments in Texas

History

Fishing

See also

References

External links