Lake Cherokee (Sabine River Basin)
Lake Cherokee is located twelve miles southeast of Longview in southeastern Gregg and northeastern Rusk counties on Cherokee Bayou, a tributary of the Sabine River. The lake is owned and operated by the Cherokee Water Company to supply water for municipal, industrial, and recreational purposes. Construction on the dam began in February 1948 and was completed on November 19, 1948. The reservoir capacity is 68,700 acre-feet at the crest of the emergency spillway at the time of designing. The crest elevation of this emergency spillway is 287.7 feet above mean sea level. Top of the dam is at the elevation of 295 feet above mean sea level, while maximum design water level may reach to 291 feet above mean sea level.
The city of Longview diverts water for municipal use. The Southwestern Power Company circulates water from the lake for condenser cooling of the steam-turbine generating units at the Knox Lee Power Plant. The drainage area above the lake is 158 square miles. According to TWDB 2015 survey, the lake has a capacity of 44,475 acre-feet and a surface area of 3,749 acres at the crest of the service spillway, elevation of 280 feet above mean sea level. The average annual sediment filling rate at the Lake Cherokee is approximately 109 acre-feet per year after impoundment.