General Project Information

The primary purpose of Lake Columbia is water supply. Lake Columbia is not a flood control reservoir nor is it envisioned to have any hydroelectric capabilities. The lake will be located in the Mud Creek floodplain, approximately 10 miles northeast of Jacksonville, Texas, primarily in Cherokee County, with the northern limits of the lake extending into Smith County (see location map at right). It will be 14 miles in length, 1.5 miles wide; cover 10,000 acres; contain 187,839 acre feet of water; and provide 85,507 acre feet of water per year to water supply customers.

Environmental studies indicate that the Lake Columbia site contains no endangered species as listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The project will not impact any State designated "ecologically unique stream segments," nor will it inundate any "priority 1" bottomland hardwood areas identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Lake Columbia is a recommended water supply strategy in the 2002 Texas Water Plan, which also recognizes the proposed site as a "unique reservoir site" suitable for legislative confirmation. Senate Bill 1362 was approved in 2003, confirming the unique reservoir site and changing the name to Lake Columbia.