Lake Marble Falls

Lake Marble Falls
Lake Marble Falls from Marble Falls, Texas
Lake Marble Falls Lake Marble Falls
Location	Burnet County, near the town of Marble Falls, Texas
Coordinates	30°33.40′N 98°15.38′W
Lake type	Hydroelectric reservoir
Primary inflows	Colorado River
Primary outflows	Colorado River
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	611 acres (247 ha)
Max. depth	60 ft (18 m)
Surface elevation	738 ft (225 m) above sea level

Lake Marble Falls is a reservoir on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1951 by the construction of Max Starcke Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Originally named Marble Falls Dam, the dam was renamed in 1962 for Max Starcke, the second general director of the LCRA. Located near the city of Marble Falls, the lake is used as a venue for aquatic recreation and for the purpose of generating hydroelectric power. It is the newest and smallest of the Texas Highland Lakes.

The other reservoirs on the Colorado River are Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Travis, Lake Austin, and Lady Bird Lake.

Fish and wildlife populations

Unlike some of its immediate neighbors in the Texas Highland Lakes reservoir system, Lake Marble Falls is not infested with hydrilla, a non-native invasive plant from Asia thought to have been introduced to the U.S. via the tropical fish industry. Lake Marble Falls has been stocked with several species of native fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Inks Lake include largemouth bass, catfish, and sunfish. Lake Marble Falls boasts being in the "top 50" as far as Record Stripers Striped Bass in the Texas freshwater fish records. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/programs/fishrecords/freshwater/top50_striped.phtml

Invasive Species

Zebra mussels are an invasive species that are able to attach themselves to boats and can be spread through anthropogenic sources. Lake Marble Falls is one of two lakes in the San Gabriel River Basin that is found to have this infestation.

Recreational uses

Most of the property bordering Lake Marble Falls is privately owned. Fishing and boating are popular recreational activities, including the annual Lake Marble Falls Lakefest drag boat races.

External links

• Official LCRA Starcke Dam web site
• Lake Marble Falls - Texas Parks & Wildlife
• Lake Marble Falls Lakefest
• Aquatic Invasives | National Invasive Species Information Center