Lake Worth (Texas)
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Lake Worth is located on the West Fork of the Trinity River. It is entirely inside the city limits of Fort Worth,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, United States.


History and development

Lake Worth was built in 1914 as 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 ...
and for recreation. The property is owned by the City of Fort Worth, while the Tarrant Regional Water District controls the reservoir's water rights. The lake has a moderate fluctuation with stained clarity. Submerged vegetation is sparse. There are shallow flats covered with cattails and other emergent species. When first impounded, Lake Worth provided boating and recreation that drew people from throughout the North Texas area. Over time, the lake became more neglected, but the expansion of Fort Worth has recently brought the lake and its parks new popularity. Since the early 1960s, many calls were made for dredging the lake and restoring its recreational potential, but city leaders were either unwilling or unable to fund the expensive proposition. This funding problem ended in the mid-2000s, when it became technologically feasible to access natural gas of the
Barnett Shale The Barnett Shale is a geological formation located in the Bend Arch-Fort Worth Basin. It consists of sedimentary rocks dating from the Mississippian period (354–323 million years ago) in Texas. The formation underlies the city of Fort Worth ...
, which partially lies underneath the lake. A movement of Fort Worth citizens has pushed for retaining a portion of that gas revenue windfall for renovating and developing its public recreational potential. This movement proposes to make improvements such as dredging the lake, setting aside of additional city-owned land as green space, building trails and other recreational infrastructure, and integrating the overall area into a "world-class" park such as New York's
Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
(the city currently operates a park on the lake's northern end as the
Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge (FWNC&R) is a nature center located between Lakeside and Lake Worth, Texas within Fort Worth, Texas city limits. It consists of prairies, forests, and wetlands. The nature center offers a glimpse of what t ...
. A capital improvement plan and vision plan have been developed to address development of Lake Worth and surrounding property.


Mythology

Lake Worth is considered the site of one of the best documented
cryptozoology Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness ...
sightings. In July 1969, a large creature was sighted by numerous people over several days. The creature was described as part goat, part fish, part man. The locals refer to the animal as the " Lake Worth monster" or the "Lake Worth Goatman".


See also

*
Trinity River Authority The Trinity River Authority (TRA) was formed in 1955 by the Texas legislature. Its main concerns are water supply and water conservation in the Trinity River Basin. The authority extends over , including all or part of 17 counties.Trinity River ...


Videos


''Lake Worth: Polishing a Tarnished Jewel'', Star Telegram Video - January 18, 2008''Saving Lake Worth'', Star Telegram Video, January 6, 2008December 11th 2007 Fort Worth Council Meeting to Dredge Lake Worth - Channel 11 News ReportingDecember 11, 2007 Fort Worth Council Meeting to Dredge Lake Worth - Channel 8 News ReportingAugust 2007 Barnett Shale Revenue Committee Meeting to Dredge Lake Worth - Channel 11 News Reporting


References


External links


Texas Parks and WildlifeScenic Shores Neighborhood Association
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Worth Reservoirs in Texas Trinity River (Texas) Geography of Fort Worth, Texas Bodies of water of Tarrant County, Texas Protected areas of Tarrant County, Texas 1914 establishments in Texas Fort Worth, Texas