Hords Creek Lake (Colorado River Basin)
Hords Creek Lake is located about five miles west of Coleman in Coleman County, on Hords Creek, a tributary of Jim Ned Creek, which is a tributary of Pecan Bayou, which in turn is a tributary of the Colorado River. This reservoir is owned by the United State Government and was built and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District for flood control, water supply and recreational purposes. This lake was one of the first Corps of Engineers projects to be placed in operation within the state of Texas and is one of the smallest. Congress authorized the construction of the Hords Creek Dam and Lake in the Flood Control Acts of August 18, 1941 and December 22, 1944. It was a cooperative project between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Coleman, which contributed over $105,000 toward the water supply features of the project. Construction of the project was started in February 1947, and was completed in June 1948. The earthen embankment is 6,300 feet in length and 91 feet above the streambed. The top of the dam is at elevation of 1,939 feet above mean sea level. Maximum design water surface can reach to 1,933.6 feet above mean sea level. There is an uncontrolled spillway 500 feet long on the south abutment with a crest at elevation of 1,920 feet above mean sea level. At this elevation where the top of the flood control pool is defined, the lake can store a total of 25,310 acre feet of water encompassing a surface area of 1,260 acres. The lake has a storage capacity of 8,640 acre-feet encompassing a surface area of 510 acres at top of conservation pool, elevation 1,900 feet above mean sea level. The drainage area above the dam is 48 square miles.