Lake Stamford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Stamford |
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Lake Stamford from 34,000 ft (10,000 m)
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 Lake Stamford
Location in Texas
Lake Stamford
Location in the United States
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Lake Stamford depth ranges
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| Location | Haskell County, Texas |
| Coordinates | 33°02′40″N 99°36′30″W / 33.0444°N 99.6082°W |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Paint Creek |
| Primary outflows | Paint Creek |
| Catchment area | 368 sq mi (950 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Built | 1953 |
| Max. length | 7.2 mi (11.6 km) |
| Max. width | 3.2 mi (5.1 km) |
| Surface area | 5,125 acres (2,074 ha) |
| Average depth | 11.5 ft (3.5 m) |
| Max. depth | 45.3 ft (13.8 m) |
| Water volume | 51,573 acre⋅ft (0.0636 km3) |
| Residence time | 2.5 years |
| Shore length1 | 63 mi (101 km) |
| Surface elevation | 1,416.8 ft (431.8 m) |
| Frozen | never |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Stamford is a large reservoir (a man-made lake) located about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Stamford, Texas, in Haskell County. It was created in 1953 when the Stamford Dam was built across Paint Creek. The lake is a vital source of water for Stamford and several nearby towns like Lueders and Paint Creek.
The City of Stamford owns the lake and half of its water rights. The other half belongs to American Electric Power (AEP), a company that used to have a power plant nearby. Lake Stamford is a popular spot for outdoor fun! People enjoy boating, fishing, waterskiing, jet-skiing, and camping here. There are two marinas on the lake where you can dock your boat: Stamford Marina and Anchor Marina.
Contents
History of Lake Stamford
For many years, the area around Stamford often faced droughts, which are long periods with very little rain. Before Lake Stamford was built, people and animals relied on natural springs for water. These springs helped many animals like buffalo, turkey, and ducks thrive, especially before the late 1800s. One important spring, called Blue Hole Springs, was located near Mule Creek.
As the town of Stamford grew and more water was needed for farming, the natural springs weren't enough. So, the city built a few small reservoirs between 1900 and 1910. But these quickly became too small. In 1919, a bigger lake called Lake Penick was created by damming the Clear Fork Brazos River. However, this lake also started to shrink because of too much dirt and mud flowing into it. By the late 1940s, Stamford needed a new, reliable water source. After looking at many places, they decided on a spot on Paint Creek.
Building the Lake
Construction for Lake Stamford and the Stamford Dam began on July 14, 1951. It took about two years to build, finishing in March 1953. The lake started filling up with water in June 1953. The dam is made of earth and is about 3,600 feet (1,097 meters) long and 78 feet (24 meters) tall. It was designed to hold a lot of water for the growing communities.
California Creek Diversion Project
In 2000, during a severe drought, a special project was built to help Lake Stamford. It's called the California Creek diversion project. This project helps move extra rainwater from California Creek into Lake Stamford. Even though California Creek doesn't naturally flow into Lake Stamford, this system helps bring more water to the lake when there's enough rain. This is important because California Creek has a large area that collects rainwater, which helps add to Lake Stamford's own water supply.
Lake Stamford Water Levels
The amount of water in Lake Stamford can change a lot. This is mostly because of long periods of drought, which make the lake level drop. Sometimes, the lake has been less than 20% full. These low levels usually only get better after a lot of heavy rain. Often, big storms like tropical cyclones coming from the Gulf of Mexico help fill the lake, as happened in 1978 and 2007. Having enough water in the lake is very important for the people who live nearby, as it's their only source of water.
Record Low Water Levels
Since it was first filled in 1953, Lake Stamford's lowest water level ever was on April 13, 2015. At that time, the lake was only 9.7% full. This meant it had very little water compared to its normal capacity.
Before that, the second-lowest level happened in October 2000, when the lake was 13.1% full. The third-lowest level was on August 3, 1978, when it was 27.7% full.
{{wide image|Lake Stamford Drought.jpg|850px|align-cap=center|Lake Stamford (boat ramp and dock) in June 2013, when it was only 21% full.]]
Record High Water Levels
August 1978 Flood
Just two days after hitting its third-lowest level, Lake Stamford quickly rose to its second-highest level ever! On August 5, 1978, the water was over 5 feet (1.6 meters) above the spillway (the part of the dam where excess water flows out). This was an amazing increase of over 15 feet (4.6 meters) in less than 48 hours, the fastest the lake has ever risen. This huge rise was caused by the remains of Tropical Storm Amelia. Even though Amelia was weak, it brought severe flooding to Texas.
On August 4, 1978, Stamford received a record amount of rain in one day: 8.22 inches (209 mm). Nearby Albany, Texas, got an incredible 29.05 inches (738 mm) that same day, which is still the record for daily rainfall in Texas. The flooding was so bad that President Carter declared Haskell County a disaster area.
August 2005 Flood
After the drought in 2000, Lake Stamford has reached or gone over its full capacity several times. The first big event happened very quickly between August 13 and 16, 2005. The lake rose by over 13.5 feet (4.1 meters) in just a few days. The city of Stamford received over 10 inches (254 mm) of rain that month. On August 17, 2005, the lake was over 9 feet (2.8 meters) above its normal full level, setting a new record for the highest water level ever recorded at Lake Stamford. This caused a lot of flooding to over 340 homes, and Governor Perry declared it a disaster area.
June and August 2007 Rains
In 2007, the area received a lot of rain starting in late April, which raised the lake almost to its full capacity by early June. Then, in June, Stamford got more rain, and by July 3, the lake was slightly over its full level. As the lake was slowly going down, another storm, Tropical Storm Erin, brought more rain on August 18, 2007. The lake reached its peak on August 21, going about 2.35 feet (0.7 meters) above capacity.
April 2010 Rains
In early 2010, the area received much more rain and even some snow than usual. This helped the lake level rise. Then, on April 17, 2010, Stamford got a lot of rain, and by April 21, the lake was almost 2 feet (0.6 meters) above its full capacity. The lake stayed full or slightly over capacity for several months that year.
| High | Over Spillway |
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| 1 | 9.38 ft | August 17, 2005 |
| 2 | 5.38 ft | August 5, 1978 |
| Low | % full | Date |
| 1 | 9.7% | April 13, 2015 |
| 2 | 13.1% | October 20, 2000 |
| 3 | 27.7% | August 3, 1978 |
Fish Species in Lake Stamford
Lake Stamford is a great place for fishing! You can find many different types of fish here, including:
- Bass
- Catfish
- Crappie and others
Images for kids
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Tropical Storm Amelia, August 1-4, 1970
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Paint Creek Power Plant
