Inks Lake 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

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

in the Texas Hill Country in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The reservoir was formed in 1938 by the construction of Inks Dam by the

Lower Colorado River Authority The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is a nonprofit public utility created in November 1934 by the Texas Legislature. LCRA's mission is to enhance the lives of the Texans it serves through water stewardship, energy and community service. LC ...

. Located near

Burnet, Texas Burnet ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Burnet County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,436 at the 2020 census. Both the city and the county were named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first (provisional) president of the Re ...

, the lake serves to provide

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

in tandem with Lake Buchanan and features the smallest

hydroelectric power 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 an ...

plant on the Highland Lakes chain. Inks Lake was named for Roy B. Inks, one of the original board members of the Lower Colorado River Authority, and serves as a venue for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, swimming, camping, and picnicking. The other reservoirs on the

are Lake Buchanan,

Lake LBJ Lake Lyndon B. Johnson (more commonly referred to as Lake LBJ and originally named Lake Granite Shoals) is a reservoir on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country about 45 miles northwest of Austin. The reservoir was formed in 1950 by the co ...

Lake Marble Falls Lake Marble Falls is a reservoir on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1951 by the construction of Max Starcke Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Originally named Marble Falls Da ...

Lake Travis Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado River in central Texas in the United States. Serving principally as a flood-control reservoir, Lake Travis' historical minimum to maximum water height change is nearly 100 feet. In 2018 alone, it saw ...

Lake Austin Lake Austin, formerly Lake McDonald, is a water reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas. The reservoir was formed in 1939 by the construction of Tom Miller Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Lake Austin is one of the seven Hi ...

, and

Lady Bird Lake Lady Bird Lake (formerly, and still colloquially referred to as Town Lake) is a river-like reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas, United States. The City of Austin created the reservoir in 1960 as a cooling pond for a new city power pl ...

Fish and wildlife populations

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

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, bu ...

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 ...

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 ...

, crappie, and sunfish. Inks Lake is a level-controlled reservoir with less than one foot (one third meter) variation in water level annually.

Recreational uses

Some of the property bordering Inks Lake is privately owned.

Inks Lake State Park Inks Lake State Park is a state park located in Burnet County, Texas, United States, next to Inks Lake on the Colorado River. The landscape of the park is hilly, with many cedar, live oak, prickly pear cacti, and yuccas. The ground is rocky ...

is adjacent to the lake and includes facilities for camping, backpacking, swimming, golf, and boat access. Cliff jumping is another water activity locals and visitors enjoy at "Devil's Water Hole" located within the confines of Inks Lake State Park on Inks Lake. In the 1990s and early 2000s, a fish restaurant was permanently moored adjacent to an RV park on a barge. The restaurant is closed, however the RV park remains. Camp Longhorn, a summer camp for boys and girls founded by

Tex Robertson Julian "Tex" Robertson (April 23, 1909 – August 27, 2007) was an American swimmer and water polo player and a swimming coach for the University of Texas. He invented a flying disk game similar to the Frisbee. Swimming career Julian Robertson ...

in 1939, is adjacent to the lake.

References

External links

Official LCRA Inks Lake web siteInks LakeInks Lake - Texas Parks & WildlifeInks Lake State Park
{{authority control Reservoirs in Texas Protected areas of Burnet County, Texas Protected areas of Llano County, Texas Infrastructure completed in 1938 Bodies of water of Burnet County, Texas Bodies of water of Llano County, Texas 1938 establishments in Texas Lower Colorado River Authority