Lake Houston

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Lake Houston
Location	On the west fork of the San Jacinto River, 15 miles (24 km) northeast of downton Houston, Texas, USA
Coordinates	29° 57.53'N, 95° 8.93'W.
Lake type	Municipal water reservoir
Surface area	11,854 acres (48.0 km²)
Max depth	45 ft (14 m)
Water volume	146,700 acre feet (180,951,800 m³)
Surface elevation	44 ft (13 m)

Lake Houston is a reservoir on the west fork of the San Jacinto River, 15 miles (24 km) northeast of downtown Houston, Texas, USA. The reservoir is the primary municipal water supply for the city of Houston and much of the surrounding area.

1 Location and creation
2 Fish and plant populations
3 Recreational uses
4 External links

[edit] Location and creation

Situated between the suburbs of Humble (pronounced Umble, with a silent H), Kingwood and Atascocita on the west bank, and Huffman on the east, the lake is spanned by an earthen bridge containing the traffic of FM 1960.

The reservoir was created in 1953 when the City of Houston built the dam to impound a reservoir to replace Sheldon Lake, then the primary source of water for the city. The city sold Sheldon Lake to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for use as a waterfowl sanctuary and public fishing site.

[edit] Fish and plant populations

Lake Houston has been stocked with species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Lake Houston include catfish, largemouth bass, white crappie, and bluegill.

[edit] Recreational uses

Boating and fishing are both popular recreational uses of the lake. At the northern end of the lake, Lake Houston State Park also has facilities for camping and hiking.