USGS Water-Year Summary 2023

07344200 Wright Patman Lake near Texarkana, TX

LOCATION - Lat 33°18'16", long 94°09'38" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, Bowie County, TX, Hydrologic Unit 11140302, in intake structure of Wright Patman Dam on the Sulphur River, 0.5 mi upstream from U.S. Highway 59, 10.0 mi southwest of Texarkana, and 44.5 mi upstream from mouth.

DRAINAGE AREA - 3,443 mi².

REVISIONS HISTORY - WSP 1561: 1957(M). WSP 1711: 1959(M).

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - July 1953 to Sept. 2000 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers furnished contents), Oct. 2000 to Sept. 2002 (contents), Oct. 2002 to current year. Published as Texarkana Reservoir prior to Oct. 1970 and as Lake Texarkana from Oct. 1970 to Sept. 1972. PERIOD OF RECORD, Water-Quality.-- CHEMICAL DATA: Jan. 1966 to Sept. 1977. BIOCHEMICAL DATA: Jan. 1966 to Sept. 1977.

GAGE - Water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is 0 ft above NGVD of 1929 and 0.06 ft above NAVD of 1988. July 19 to Dec. 31, 1953, nonrecording gage at site about 125 ft upstream at datum 200 ft higher. Satellite telemeter at station.

REMARKS - Some records listed in the "Period of Record" for surface water and water quality may not be available electronically. The lake is formed by a rolled earthfill dam 18,500 ft long, including a 200-foot uncontrolled spillway and a 1-mile long dike. Temporary impoundment of water began July 2, 1953, and deliberate impoundment began June 27, 1956. The dam was completed in Dec. 1957. The flood-control outlet works consist of two 20.0-foot diameter conduits controlled by four 10.0- by 20.0-foot electrically driven broome-type gates. Flow is affected at times by discharge from the flood-detention pools of 25 floodwater-retarding structures with a combined detention capacity of 13,450 acre-ft. These structures control runoff from 40.0 mi² in the Sulphur River and Langford Creek drainage basins. Outflow discharging over the spillway passes into an outlet channel and then to the Sulphur River. The dam is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The lake was built for flood control and for conservation. An unknown amount of water is diverted for industrial and municipal uses. Data regarding the dam are given in the following table:

                                                                              Elevation (feet)
Top of dam............................................................          286.0
Crest of spillway.....................................................          259.5
Top of conservation pool..............................................          220.6
Lowest gated outlet (invert)..........................................          200.0

Water-quality records available from Jan. 1978 to Aug. 1984, Feb. 1992 to Aug. 1998 and Feb. 2005 to Aug. 2007 were published separately as:

Site ID                Site name
331838094095901  Wright Patman Lk Site AC nr Texarkana, TX
331903094100201  Wright Patman Lk Site AL nr Texarkana, TX          
332142094115001  Wright Patman Lk Site BC nr Texarkana, TX           
331935094112901  Wright Patman Lk Site CC nr Texarkana, TX         
331706094130501  Wright Patman Lk Site DC nr Texarkana, TX             
331628094121901  Wright Patman Lk Site DR nr Texarkana, TX        
331519094141101  Wright Patman Lk Site EC nr Texarkana, TX            
331459094164501  Wright Patman Lk Site FC nr Texarkana, TX
331533094210901  Wright Patman Lk Site GC nr Texarkana, TX

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum contents, 1,912,100 acre-ft, May 9, 1966, elevation, 252.64 ft; minimum since first appreciable storage and after deliberate impoundment began, 3,460 acre-ft, June 27,1956. Maximum elevation, 254.56 ft, May 10,11, 2016.

WATER-QUALITY RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - CHEMICAL DATA: Mar. 1967 to Sept. 1984, Feb. 1992 to Sept. 1998, Feb. 2005 to Sept. 2007(discontinued). BIOCHEMICAL DATA: Feb. 2005 to Sept. 2007(discontinued). PESTICIDE DATA: Feb. 2005 to Sept. 2007(discontinued).