Grapevine Lake
Grapevine Lake is a reservoir in North Texas about northwest of Dallas and northeast of Fort Worth. It was impounded in 1952 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when they dammed Denton Creek, a tributary of Trinity River.
The reservoir's primary purposes are flood control and to act as a municipal water reservoir, with a secondary function of providing recreation and open-space areas. The lake's name comes from the city of Grapevine, Texas, to which the lake is adjacent.
History and construction
On March 2, 1945, the U.S. Congress approved the River and 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 parts of both Tarrant and Denton Counties. In this area immediately north of the City of Grapevine, the Corps of Engineers obtained about of land and placed easements on another to be flooded by the new reservoir. The project was completed in June 1952, and impounding of water began July 3, 1952.
Statistics
The dam is a rolled earth-fill type, thick, which spans. The crest of the dam is located at above sea level. At the dam, the original creek bed was at, making the dam roughly tall.The dam's spillway is located at around above sea level. This gives it a flood capacity of at least, including an allowance for the build-up of 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.
At conservation level, the lake has nearly of shoreline.
Water rights
Three municipalities have water rights to the lake: Grapevine, Dallas, and the Dallas County Park Cities, which provides water to various communities in Dallas County.Under its September 1953 contract, Grapevine obtained of the water in the elevations between above sea level. In February 1981, the city obtained an additional in the same elevations "until such time as this is needed for navigation purposes." In March 1953, the city of Dallas obtained of the water between, 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 of natural surface trails, including nature, biking, and equestrian trails.Trails listed by the Corps of Engineers include the Northshore trail, the Rocky Point trail, the Crosstimbers horse trail, and the 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
Three marinas are 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, is Twin Coves. The marinas support an active boating community on the lake; combined, the three marinas have around 1,400 moorings, with land-based storage for an additional 575 vessels.Both the Grapevine Sailing Club and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary 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, which includes a fee-based ramp.
- 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 Flower Mound operates a fee-based boat ramp at Twin Coves Park.
Fishing and hunting
With a hunting license, hunting permit, and in season, public hunting is allowed on the Corps of Engineers land located at the northwest end of the lake. Waterfowl and small game hunting, as well as bow hunting of feral hogs and deer is permitted. Hunting licenses are obtained from the state of Texas and an additional permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is required.
On March 24, 2010, Kris Howe found four bones of a 96-million-year-old bird. Two Dallas scientists say that the bird is the oldest in America.