Lake Worth (Texas) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lake Worth
Lake Worth, 2020
Lake Worth Location in Texas Show map of Texas Lake Worth Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, United States
Coordinates	32°47′26″N 97°24′53″W / 32.79056°N 97.41472°W / 32.79056; -97.41472
Type	Artificial
Primary inflows	Eagle Mountain Lake
Primary outflows	Trinity River
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	3,489 acres (1,412 ha)
Average depth	6 ft (1.8 m)
Max. depth	22 ft (6.7 m)
Surface elevation	594 ft (181 m)
Islands	Greer Island, Willow Island, Goat Island
Settlements	Fort Worth, Texas

Lake Worth is a lake found on the West Fork of the Trinity River. It is completely within the city of Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States.

History and Development of Lake Worth

Lake Worth was created in 1914. It was built to be a reservoir (a place to store water) and for fun activities like boating. The city of Fort Worth owns the land around the lake. The Tarrant Regional Water District manages the water itself.

When the lake was first made, it was a very popular spot for boating and other recreation. People from all over North Texas came to visit. Over time, the lake was not looked after as well. But as Fort Worth grew, the lake and its parks became popular again.

Since the 1960s, many people wanted to clean up the lake by "dredging" it. This means removing mud and trash from the bottom. This would make it better for recreation. However, cleaning the lake was very expensive. City leaders could not find enough money to do it.

This changed in the mid-2000s. New technology made it possible to get natural gas from the Barnett Shale. This is a rock formation partly under the lake. The money made from this gas helped solve the funding problem.

A group of Fort Worth citizens wanted to use some of this new money to improve the lake. They wanted to make it a great place for everyone to enjoy. Their ideas included:

• Dredging the lake to make it cleaner and deeper.
• Adding about 400 acres (1.6 km²) of city land as green space.
• Building new trails and other fun things to do.
• Making the whole area a "world-class" park, like New York's Central Park.

Fort Worth already has a large park on the north side of the lake. It is called the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge. It covers about 3,000 acres (12 km²). Plans are being made to develop Lake Worth and the land around it.

Mysteries of Lake Worth

Lake Worth is famous for a strange sighting that many people reported. This event is one of the best-known stories in cryptozoology. Cryptozoology is the study of hidden or unknown animals.

In July 1969, many people saw a large, mysterious creature over several days. They described it as part goat, part fish, and part man. Locals started calling this animal the "Lake Worth monster" or the "Lake Worth Goatman."

Images for kids

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  Lake Worth Dam, undated