Lake Lyndon B. Johnson

Lake LBJ at the intersection of Llano and Burnet counties in the Texas Hill Country.

Lake Lyndon B. Johnson
Location	Texas Hill Country Burnet County Llano County
Coordinates	30°33′20″N 98°20′16″W / 30.55556°N 98.33778°W / 30.55556; -98.33778Coordinates: 30°33′20″N 98°20′16″W / 30.55556°N 98.33778°W / 30.55556; -98.33778
Lake type	Hydroelectric reservoir
Primary inflows	Colorado River (Texas) Llano River
Primary outflows	Colorado River (Texas)
Basin countries	United States

Surface area	6,534 acres (2,644 ha)
Max. depth	90 ft (27 m)
Surface elevation	825 ft (251 m)

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 in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1950 by the construction of Granite Shoals Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. The Colorado River and the Llano River meet in the northern portion of the lake.

The lake was originally called Lake Granite Shoals. The dam would be renamed Wirtz Dam in 1952 for Alvin J. Wirtz, the first general counsel of the LCRA, and the lake was renamed to Lake Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 in honor of US President Lyndon Baines Johnson. In addition to his work to enact the Rural Electrification Act that formed the basis for building the Highland Lakes, President Johnson owned a ranch on the lake (which was separate and apart from the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas), and he and Mrs. Johnson entertained national and foreign dignitaries on the lake during his vice presidency and presidency.

The towns of Granite Shoals, Kingsland, Horseshoe Bay, Highland Haven, and Sunrise Beach are located on the lake, which is also near Marble Falls. The lake is used as a venue for aquatic recreation and provides cooling water for the Thomas J. Ferguson power plant operated by the LCRA. The boundary line separating Burnet County and Llano County runs down the center of the lake. Lake LBJ is located 45 miles northwest of Austin.

The other reservoirs on the Colorado River are Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Travis, Lake Austin, and Lady Bird Lake.

Fish and wildlife populations

Lake LBJ has been stocked with several species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Lake LBJ include largemouth bass, white bass, catfish, and crappie. Lake LBJ is one of the Texas Highland Lakes infested with hydrilla, a non-native aquatic plant species, and the LCRA is undergoing treatment to eradicate the hydrilla.

Lake LBJ just east of Kingsland.

Recreational uses

Most of the property bordering Lake LBJ is privately owned. The Nightengale Archaeological Center at Kingsland is a unique educational park operated by the Lower Colorado River Authority that is adjacent to Lake LBJ. The popularity of Lake LBJ is largely due to its normally constant level water which provides ideal conditions for boating, water-skiing, jet-skiing and other water sports.

Cooling water

The lake provides cooling water for the Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant that is located on its shores.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lake Lyndon B. Johnson.

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