Fayette County Reservoir is a

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...

cooling

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

on Cedar Creek in the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

basin, 3 miles west of

Fayetteville, Texas Fayetteville is a city in Fayette County, Texas, United States. The population was 246 at the 2020 census. History The town is located in an area that was originally granted to Alex Thompson and George Cumberland. Fayetteville's first immigra ...

and 10 miles east of La Grange,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. The reservoir was created in 1978 when a dam was built on the creek to provide a cooling pond for the Fayette Power Project which provides

electrical Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

generation to Fayette County and surrounding areas. The dam, lake, and power plant are managed 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. ...

. There is very little vegetation compared to what can usually be found in fisheries, and some invasive plant species are present. The lake is open to the public for recreational activities, including boating,

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

, camping, and hiking. Fayette County Reservoir is also known as Lake Fayette.

Description

Fayette County Reservoir is located within the Post Oak Savannah

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

in Texas.

Habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

in the

littoral zone The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely flood ...

is mainly natural and rocky

shoreline A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

. The water level is supplied and maintained by the Colorado River. Its function as a power plant cooling reservoir increases water temperatures throughout the lake.

Water clarity Water clarity is a descriptive term for how deeply visible light penetrates through water. In addition to light penetration, the term water clarity is also often used to describe underwater visibility. Water clarity is one way that humans measure ...

is considered normal, and nutrient levels are high. The dam itself is composed of compacted soil approximately 96 ft. high and 15, 259 ft. long.

History

Construction of the dam for Fayette County Reservoir impounded the upstream section of Cedar Creek, turning it into a recharge area where it was previously a groundwater discharge area. Most of the vegetation in the area was removed during construction. Lake Fayette used to be the site of a small town called Biegel, which was famous for its pickles. Outlines of houses may be visible on fish finders. The Biegel-December House, the Legler Log House, and the Gentner-Kroll-Polasek Farmstead were historic structures present in the construction area, and were relocated prior to construction. Other historic and

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

s were present on the construction site, and 25 sites were investigated by the Texas Archaeological Survey. No other structures or artifacts were removed.

Fish and plant populations

Fayette County Reservoir has been stocked with species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Fayette County Reservoir include

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus nigricans'') is a carnivorous, freshwater fish, freshwater, ray-finned fish in the Centrarchidae (sunfish) family, native to the eastern United States, eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada an ...

, and sunfish. Largemouth Bass is considered the most popular sport fishing species in this reservoir, and fish are typically abundant and active between February and June. The

Channel Catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus''), known informally as the "channel cat", is a species of catfish native to North America. They are North America's most abundant catfish species, and the official state fish of Kansas, Missouri, Nebra ...

is another important sport fishing species, and their populations are being closely monitored as a result of decreasing abundance. The most abundant prey species in the reservoir are

Bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or, in Texas, "copper nose", is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands ea ...

Gizzard Shad The gizzard, also referred to as the ventriculus, gastric mill, and gigerium, is an organ found in the digestive tract of some animals, including archosaurs (birds and other dinosaurs, crocodiles, alligators, pterosaurs), earthworms, some gastro ...

, and

Threadfin Shad The threadfin shad (''Dorosoma petenense'') is a small pelagic freshwater forage fish common in lakes, large streams and reservoirs of the Southeastern United States. Like the American gizzard shad, the threadfin shad has an elongated dorsal fin ...

. The level of overall coverage by

aquatic vegetation Aquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and Non-vascular plant, non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic ecosystem, aquatic environments (marine ecosystem, saltwater or freshwater ecosystem, freshwater ...

in Fayette County Reservoir is lower than what is typical for

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farm ...

. A 2012 survey of aquatic vegetation found an invasive plant species, Eurasian watermilfoil, but more recent surveys indicate that it is no longer present, and coverage by other invasive species is low.

Recreational uses

Boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...

, and

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

are popular recreational uses of the lake. There are boat ramps and piers available to visitors, as well as access to shoreline for fishing.

Fishing tournament A fishing tournament, or Angling tournament, is an organised competition among anglers. Fishing tournaments typically take place as a series of competitive events around or on a clearly defined body of water with specific rules applying to each e ...

s are held annually, notably for largemouth bass. There is also a playground, a 3-mile trail connecting Oak Thicket Park and Park Prairie Park, and a nature trail in Oak Thicket Park.

References

External links

Fayette County Reservoir - Texas Parks & WildlifeLower Colorado River AuthorityFishing Regulations for Fayette County
{{authority control Fayette County Protected areas of Fayette County, Texas Lower Colorado River Authority Bodies of water of Fayette County, Texas Cooling ponds