North Lake (Dallas) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids North Lake |
|
|---|---|
 North Lake
Location in Texas
North Lake
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Dallas, Texas, United States |
| Coordinates | 32°56′57″N 96°58′19″W / 32.94917°N 96.97194°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | South Fork of Grapevine Creek |
| Primary outflows | South Fork of Grapevine Creek |
| Catchment area | 3 sq mi (7.8 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 800 acres (320 ha) |
| Average depth | 21.56 ft (6.57 m) |
| Max. depth | 31.2 ft (9.5 m) |
| Water volume | 17,000 acre⋅ft (0.021 km3) |
| Surface elevation | 510 ft (160 m) |
| Islands | 3, 1 above surface, 2 submerged |
| Settlements | Dallas |
North Lake is a large, man-made lake called a reservoir. You can find it in Dallas, Texas, about 2 miles (3 km) southeast of Coppell. A place called North Lake Park is located on its southern side.
Contents
The Story of North Lake
Long ago, the area where North Lake now sits was a big, bowl-shaped valley. Farmers used this land to grow crops.
Building the Lake
Workers started building the North Lake Dam in 1956. It was finished quickly, by August 1957. Many trees were cut down to make way for the lake. North Lake was built to help cool down an electric power plant owned by the Dallas Power and Light Company. Around that time, the city of Dallas, Texas took over the land around the power plant and the new lake.
Fun Times at the Lake
In 1978, people started using the lake for fishing. But the fish were not doing well because the water did not have enough nutrients. So, the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department began adding fertilizer to the water. They also added bass fish to the lake.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the city of Irving, Texas rented land south of the lake to create a park. North Lake Park became a popular spot for people who loved personal watercraft, like jet skis. It also had a runway for radio-controlled aircraft.
Why the Park Closed
In 2000, the power company that owned the lake, TXU, decided not to sell the land. The cities of Coppell, Texas and Irving, Texas had offered to buy it. However, TXU would only offer short-term leases for the park land. This meant the cities could not build permanent facilities. So, North Lake Park closed in 2000, and all fun activities on the lake stopped. Some people thought the lake closed because of tiny living things called amoebas in the water. These amoebas might have grown more because of the warm water from the power plant.
North Lake's Dam and Water
North Lake has a special kind of dam called an embankment dam. If the water gets too high, it flows over a chute spillway. There was once a small leak in the dam, but it was fixed. The city of Coppell has been lowering the water level. After 2012, the lake's water level will stay about 13 feet lower than before. Behind the dam, there is a low, wet area and a new neighborhood being built.
Islands and What's Under the Water
North Lake has several islands, but most of them are underwater when the lake is at its normal level. The biggest island is above the water and has a shoreline of about 325 feet. The bottom of the lake is mostly sandy, with some muddy spots.
When the park was open, a large floating ramp for water skiing was in the middle of the lake. Some special floating markers, called buoys, were placed in the southwest part of the lake. This was to warn people that the water was shallow there, which could be dangerous for water skiing.
Not much plant life grows in the lake, so it's hard for fish to find food. A plant called Coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) used to grow there, but the sandy bottom made it difficult for it to survive.
How the Lake Gets Water
North Lake gets its water from rain and water flowing in from small valleys. But most of its water comes from Grapevine Creek. This small stream almost always flows into the lake, and you can find it in the southwest part of the lake. There used to be a boat ramp on a small road near Belt Line Rd.. However, it was closed because the ground around it was uneven and not stable.
