Lake Travis
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Aerial shot of Lake Travis. |
Lake Travis is a
reservoir on the
Colorado River in central
Texas in the
United States. The reservoir was formed in 1942 by the construction of
Mansfield Dam on the western edge of
Austin, Texas by the
Lower Colorado River Authority. Lake Travis has the largest storage capacity of the seven reservoirs known as the
Highland Lakes, and stretches 65 miles (105 km) upriver from western
Travis County in a highly serpentine course into southern
Burnet County to
Starcke Dam, southwest of the town of
Marble Falls. The
Pedernales River, a major tributary of the Colorado River, flows into the lake from the southwest in western Travis County. The lake is used for flood control, water supply, electrical power generation and recreation.
The other reservoirs on the Colorado River are
Lake Buchanan,
Inks Lake,
Lake LBJ,
Lake Marble Falls,
Lake Austin, and
Town Lake.
Because of its volume, the lake serves as the primary
flood control reservoir of the Highland Lake chain. The level of the lake can therefore vary dramatically, depending on the amount of rainfall in the Colorado River basin upstream. Despite this, the lake furnishes one of the most desired locations in the region for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, swimming, scuba diving, picnicking and camping. Among the parks along the lake is the Travis Country park
Hippie Hollow, the only clothing-optional public park in Texas. Lake Travis is generally considered one of the clearest lakes in Texas.
Lake Travis has been stocked with several species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Lake Travis include
largemouth bass,
guadalupe bass,
white bass,
striped bass,
catfish and
sunfish.
*
Pedernales River*
Texas Parks and Wildlife: Lake Travis*
LCRA: Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis
