Palo Duro Reservoir (Canadian River Basin)
Palo Duro Reservoir is located about 10 miles north of Spearman in Hansford County, Texas on Palo Duro Creek, a tributary of the North Canadian River. The Certificate of Adjudication (No. 01-3803) issued by the Texas Water Commission on May 30, 1985, authorized the Palo Duro River Authority to construct and maintain a dam and reservoir at the site for water supply and recreation purposes. Construction of the homogeneous, earthen dam, with a maximum height of 128 feet and a length of 3,800 feet, was completed by the Counties of Hansford and Moore and the City of Stinnett in March 1991 and impounded thereafter. The top of the dam is at an elevation of 2,943.5 feet above mean sea level. The uncontrolled emergency spillway is located near the right end of the dam and is excavated over the natural ground. The crest measures 1,000 feet wide at an elevation of 2,915 feet above mean sea level. At the elevation of 2,909 feet above mean sea level, the reservoir can store approximately 110,500 acre feet of water encompassing a surface area of about 3,501 acres. The reservoir has a conservation storage capacity of approximately 60,900 acre feet encompassing a surface area of approximately 2,407 acres at an elevation of 2,892 feet above mean sea level. The dam controls a drainage area of approximately 614 square miles.