Joe Pool Lake is a

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salt (chemistry), salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include ...

impoundment (

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 ...

) located in the southern part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

Texas. The lake encompasses parts of Tarrant,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

and

Ellis Ellis is a surname of Welsh and English origin. Retrieved 21 January 2014 An independent French origin of the surname is said to derive from the phrase fleur-de-lis. It has also been noted to be a Jewish surname. People with the surname include ...

counties. The lake measures with a conservation storage capacity of . With a maximum depth of the lake drains an area of . Joe Pool Lake was named after Joe R. Pool, a Congressman-At-Large from the Oak Cliff area of Dallas who represented this area as well as the rest of the state of Texas from 1963 until his death in 1968. Pool was highly influential in the passage of legislation and funding of the lake. The project to build Joe Pool Lake initiated by a promise made in 19

by Kennedy-Johnson Natural Resources Advisory Committee member Joe Po

and was carried out, after Pool's death in 1968, by a citizens committee called the Lakeview (Joe Pool) Planning Council. Pool's project was approved by Congress in 1965 and was known as Lakeview Reservoir until 1982 when president Ronald W. Reagan signed a bill to rename the lake to Joe Pool Lake. Actual construction began in 1977, bridge work was finished in 1981, with lake completion in December 1985. Impoundment of water began in January 1986 and the lake was filled by June 1989. After 60 years, through the sheer determination of Joe Pool, his congressional friends and the many members of the Lakeview (Joe Pool) Planning Council, Pool's promise of flood control for the Mountain/Walnut Creek watershed was made good to the affected property owners. "On May 24, 1986 with the lake approximately half full and still several years away from being open to the public, a ceremony was held to dedicate the new Joe Pool Lake. 1,500 people attended including U.S. Democratic Majority Leader Jim Wright, who among others, had helped keep the project alive through the years. There was food, music, cannons, and speeches. Joe Pool would have been proud to be there."

Parks and recreation

Joe Pool Lake includes a number of parks, paved boat ramps and parking lots, public swimming areas, a public marina as well a second marina located inside

Cedar Hill State Park Cedar Hill State Park is located on FM 1382 and the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake in Cedar Hill, Texas ( USA), ten miles southwest of Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort ...

. Other parks include Britton Park, Loyd Park, and Lynn Creek Park.

Lynn Creek Marina

A full-service marina and restaurant are located on the northwest side of the lake, just off Lake Ridge Parkway near the Lynn Creek Park entrance. The Lynn Creek Marina has 258 wet slips, 40 dry storage slips. a ship store and service center. All facilities are available to the public on first-come, first-served, for fishing, pleasure, and sailboats; boat rentals; with an indoor-outdoor fishing area; and Patio Bar & Grill.

Water Resources

Joe Pool lake is mostly fed by Mountain Creek and Walnut Creek and drains north into Mountain Creek leading into Mountain Creek Lake. Joe Pool Lake is one of the few lakes in Texas that actually drains to the north. Joe Pool lake impounds water in two arms formed by Mountain Creek and Walnut Creek. The Mountain Creek Water Shed is in the Upper Trinity River Basin and has a length of and a total drainage area of . Currently (2005) Joe Pool Lake serves as a

for the City of Midlothian for their public water supply. Several other entities have water interests in Joe Pool Lake, but are not currently using the water resources. The City of Midlothian has a water intake structure in the southeast leg of the lake. They consume water at a daily rate anywhere from in the winter months to in the summer months. The Trinity River Authority of Texas also has a water intake structure in Cedar Hill State Park, but it currently not in use.

Fishing

Fishing Regulations

Most species are currently managed with statewide regulations. The exception is a 14 to slot limit on largemouth bass. Anglers may keep bass that are or less in length, or or greater. Daily bag for all species of black bass is 5 in combination, but only one largemouth bass or greater may be retained each day.

Stocking history

All-ages records

Junior angler records

Fishing tips

Marked brush piles offer habitat in the lower end of the reservoir which are often good for both bass and crappie. Crappie fishing is also good under the bridges on both arms of the lake. In the Walnut Creek arm, the old creek channel is a good place to look for bass.

Fishing quality

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 ...

: 3 of 5 *

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 ...

: 2 of 5 *

Crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxi ...

: 3 of 5 * Sunfish: 2 of 5

Facilities

The TRA maintains excellent day use and overnight public recreation facilities. The only free boat ramp on the lake is at Britton Park on the upper end of the Mountain Creek Arm, although it is $5 to park. Cedar Hill State Park on the east side of the lake has the second most campsites of any facility in the state park system. It also has lighted fishing piers, boat ramps and group shelters.

References

Cedar Hill State Park and Joe Pool Marina

Tangle Ridge Golf Club

Army Corps of Engineers Joe Pool lake

Handbook of Texas Online

* ttp://www.loydpark.com/cabins.htm Cabins at Loyd Park on Joe Pool lake * Dallas Morning News Article ID 0ED3CDCE9CEF65D0 Publish Date: December 22, 1985 * City of Grand Prairi
Lynn Creek Park on Lake Joe Pool Offers Free Entry to Grand Prairie Residents

External links

Cedar Hill State Park and Joe Pool Marina
*
Joe Pool lake dot Org Website

Information about all of the Lake's amenities
* Joe R. Pool {{authority control Reservoirs in Texas Protected areas of Dallas County, Texas Protected areas of Ellis County, Texas Protected areas of Tarrant County, Texas Bodies of water of Dallas County, Texas Bodies of water of Ellis County, Texas Bodies of water of Tarrant County, Texas 1989 establishments in Texas