New Terrell City Lake (Trinity River Basin)
New Terrell City Lake (also known as Terrell Dam) is located about six miles east of Terrell in Kaufman County, on Muddy Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Trinity River. The lake and dam are owned and operated by the City of Terrell. The State Board of Water Engineers issued Permit No. 1700 on April 20, 1954 to City of Terrell authorizing the construction of a dam and reservoir. Construction for New Terrell City Lake and Dam began in February, 1955 and was completed in November of the same year. Deliberate impoundment began when the construction was completed but the lake did not fill until May, 1957. The diversion of water from the lake began in 1960. The design engineer for the original facility was Joe E. Ward and the general contractor was John A. Petty.
Starting from January 1969 and designed by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, a modification to increase height of dam and change the spillway was made by general contractor, James Payne. New Terrell City Lake Dam and appurtenant structures consist of an earth-fill embankment, 4,900 feet in length, with a maximum height of 45 feet and a crest elevation of 514.2 feet. The uncontrolled emergency spillway is located near the right end of the dam and is excavated over natural ground with a crest of 500 feet long and at elevation 509.8 feet above mean sea level. The service spillway is an uncontrolled concrete weir and chute located near the left (east) end of the embankment. The concrete weir is 40 feet in length at its crest which is at an elevation 508.8 feet above mean sea level. According to the TWDB 1997 volumetric survey, the lake has a storage capacity of 8,594 acre-feet, encompassing a surface area of 849 acres, at its conservation pool elevation 504 feet above mean sea level. Records indicate the drainage area is approximately 14 square miles.