Grapevine Lake is an American

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 contr ...

located in the

North Texas North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wo ...

region, approximately northwest of

Dallas 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 ...

and northeast of

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

. It was impounded in 1952 by the

US Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

when they

dammed ''Dammed: The Politics of Loss and Survival in Anishinaabe Territory'' is a 2020 book by Brittany Luby, Associate Professor of History at the University of Guelph. The book charts the impacts of the damming of the Winnipeg River in the Lake of ...

Denton Creek, a tributary of Trinity River. The reservoir's primary purposes are flood control and to act as a municipal water

, with a secondary function of providing recreation and open space areas. The lake's name comes from the city of

Grapevine, Texas Grapevine is a city and suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, United States, with minor portions extending into Dallas County and Denton County. The city is located in the Mid-Cities suburban region betwee ...

, to which the lake is adjacent.

History and construction

On March 2, 1945, the U.S. Congress approved the River & Harbors Act of 1945 which, among many projects, provided for the construction of Benbrook Lake, Grapevine Lake, Lavon Lake and Ray Roberts Lake, as well as modifications to the existing Garza Dam for the construction of Lewisville Lake. All the projects were for the purposes of both flood control and navigation. These lakes became part of an extensive floodway system that is operated in a coordinated manner to minimize flooding along the Trinity river floodplain. The Grapevine Dam and Reservoir project, as it was originally known, was initiated in January 1948. Located on Denton Creek, a tributary of the Elm Fork of the Trinity river, the project spans both Tarrant County and Denton County. In this area immediately north of the City of Grapevine, the Corps of Engineers obtained approximately 15,700 acres (63.5 km²) of land and placed easements on another 2,200 acres (8.9 km²) to be flooded by the new reservoir. The project was completed in June 1952, and impounding of water began July 3, 1952.See Grapevine Lake Pertinent Data

Statistics

The dam is a rolled earth-fill type, 28 feet (8.5 m) thick, which spans 12,850 feet (3,920 m). The crest of the dam is located at 588 feet (179 m) above sea level. At the dam, the original creek bed was at , making the dam approximately tall. The dam's

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure th ...

is located at approximately

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

. This gives it a flood capacity of at least , including an allowance for the build of up sediment in the lake's bottom. Typically, the lake is maintained near its conservation level, at , giving it a capacity of and a surface area of 7,280 acres (29.5 km²). At conservation level, the lake has approximately of shoreline.

Water rights

Three municipalities have water rights to the lake; the city of Grapevine, the city of Dallas, and the Dallas County Park Cities (DCPC), which provides water to various communities in Dallas County. Under its September 1953 contract, Grapevine obtained of the water in the elevations between 500 and 535 feet (152 and 163 m) above sea-level. In February 1981, the city obtained an additional in the same elevations "until such time as this ateris needed for navigation purposes." In March 1953, the city of Dallas obtained of the water between 500 and 535 feet (152 and 163 m), and in March 1955, DCPC obtained at the same elevations.

Recreation

Parks and trails

Numerous parks surround the lake. Some of the parks are owned, leased or maintained by the local community. Others remain in the Corps of Engineers' control. The area contains 30 miles (50 km) of natural surface trails including nature, biking and equestrian trails. Trails listed by the Corps of Engineers include the nine mile (14 km) Northshore trail, the three mile (5 km) Rocky Point trail, the five mile (8 km) Crosstimbers horse trail, and the four mile (6 km) Knob Hill trail.

Camping

The lake has primitive camping, prepared camping sites, and trailer / RV camping. Murrell park currently has tent and primitive camping, but is undergoing an expansion to increase camping facilities. Meadowmere Park, managed by the city of Grapevine, offers primitive tent camping. Vineyards campground and cabins, managed by the city of Grapevine, offers RV camping sites, and cabins. Twin Coves Park is managed by the Town of Flower Mound and offers RV sites along with cabins and primitive camping.

Marinas and boating

There are three

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or ...

s located on the lake, all operated by the private company ''Marinas International''. On the south shore, in Grapevine, are ''Scott's Landing'' and ''Silver Lake''. On the north shore, in

Flower Mound Flower Mound is an incorporated town located in Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Located northwest of Dallas and northeast of Fort Worth adjacent to Grapevine Lake, the town derives its name from a prominent mound locate ...

, is ''Twin Coves''. The marinas support an active boating community on the lake; combined, the three marinas have approximately 1,400 moorings, with land-based storage for an additional 575 vessels. Both the ''Grapevine Sailing Club'' and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (Flotilla 5-11 of District 8) are based at Scott's Landing. Twelve boat ramps provide access to the lake, of which only the two ramps at Murrell park are controlled by the Corps of Engineers and available for free. Of the remaining ramps: * The City of Trophy Club operates Trophy Club Park (formerly Marshall Creek Park) which includes a fee-based ramp ($5 for boats on trailers, $1 for kayaks and canoes). * The City of Grapevine operates public fee-based ramps at Meadowmere, Lakeview, Oak Grove, and Katie's Woods parks. * The private company Marinas International operates a fee-based ramp at Silver Lake Marina. * The City of

operates a fee-based boat ramp at Twin Coves Park ($10 daily park access fee with annual pass available)

Fishing and hunting

The lake is home to a number of fish species, including

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, ...

, spotted bass,

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 ...

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 ...

, channel

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, ...

, and

alligator gar The alligator gar (''Atractosteus spatula'') is a ray-finned euryhaline fish related to the bowfin in the infraclass Holostei . It is the largest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fish in North America. The fossil rec ...

. Fishing regulations of most species are managed under statewide regulations. The exception is a 14 to 18 inch (36 to 46 cm) slot limit on largemouth bass; (46 cm). Daily bag limit for all species of black bass is 5 in any combination. Murrell Park, a premier spot for catching sand and black bass on the north shore, was heavily damaged in the summer 2007 flood and was partially closed. With a

hunting license A hunting license or hunting permit is a regulatory or legal mechanism to control hunting, both commercial and recreational. A license specifically made for recreational hunting is sometimes called a game license. Hunting may be regulated ...

, hunting permit, and in season, public hunting is allowed on the Corps of Engineers land located at the north-west end of the lake.

Waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which ...

and small game hunting, as well as bow hunting of feral hogs and

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

is permitted. Hunting licenses are obtained from the state of Texas and an additional permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers required. On March 24, 2010, Kris Howe found four bones of a 96-million-year-old bird. Two

scientists say that the bird is the oldest in America.

Adjacency to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Grapevine Lake borders

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport , also known as DFW Airport, is the primary international airport serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and the North Texas Region in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest hub for American Ai ...

(DFW) to the northwest, making it a major landmark to persons flying into or out of that airport. Many of its features, such as its parks, marinas, and dam, are visible in great detail to the airline passengers upon takeoff or landing.

Notes and references

* US Corps of Engineer
Pertinent Data - Grapevine Lake