Texas Highland Lakes facts for kids

The Texas Highland Lakes is a chain of six fresh water reservoirs in Central Texas formed by six dams on the lower Colorado River. The Texas Colorado River winds southeast from West Texas to Matagorda Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

The dams and lakes are (from northwest to southeast, upstream to downstream):

• Buchanan Dam — Lake Buchanan
• Inks Dam — Inks Lake
• Wirtz Dam — Lake LBJ
• Max Starcke Dam — Lake Marble Falls
• Mansfield Dam — Lake Travis
• Tom Miller Dam — Lake Austin

The lower Colorado River basin has a history of major flooding. The Lower Colorado River Authority built the dams to manage floods and generate hydroelectric power in the 1930s and 1940s.

The two largest lakes—Buchanan and Travis—are the reservoirs that store water supply for the region. The smaller lakes—Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls and Austin—are pass-through lakes that are operated within a certain range.