Lake Jacksonville (Neches River Basin)
Lake Jacksonville (also known as Buckner Dam) is located about one-half mile southwest of Jacksonville in Cherokee County on Gum Creek, a tributary of the Neches River. The Jacksonville Municipal Water Supply is the controlling authority of the Lake.
The construction of the dam began in February 1956 and was completed in August 1957 and impounded thereafter. The top of the dam is at elevation of 438 feet above mean sea level. The uncontrolled emergency spillway is located at the right end of the dam with a crest elevation at 431 feet above mean sea level. In emergencies the reservoir can be expanded to 46,500 acre-feet with a surface area of 1,760 acres. The lake was originally intended as a water supply for the City of Jacksonville and little consideration was given to any leisure activity or residential development. The soil around Lake Jacksonville is a sandy loam over red clay, and the area is wooded with mixed hardwood and pine trees. According to TWDB 2006 volumetric survey, the lake had a storage capacity of 26,732 acre-feet encompassing a surface area of 1,164 acres at its conservation pool elevation, 422 feet above mean sea level. The dam controls a drainage area of approximately 34 square miles.