Mitchell County Reservoir (Colorado River Basin)

Mitchell County Reservoir is located approximately nine miles southwest of Westbrook in Mitchell County, on an unnamed creek, a tributary of Beals Creek which is a tributary of the Colorado River.  It is an off-channel reservoir owned by Colorado River Municipal Water District for the purpose of containing and evaporating highly mineralized "diverted water" which is too salty for municipal use.  Authorization of the project was issued by the State of Texas in February 1990 and construction of dam was completed by T.L. James and Company in 1991.  The Dam is of earthen construction with a maximum height of 93 feet and a length of 4,850 feet.  At normal conservation pool levels (2,200 feet above mean sea level), it has a surface area of 1,463 acres and a capacity of 27,266 acre-feet.  It is estimated that it is capable of evaporating up to an average of 7.0 million gallons per day.  It drains an area of 15.3 square miles.