The Lower Colorado River Authority or LCRA is a nonprofit public utility that was formed in 1934 by the Texas Legislature. A non-profit organization ( abbreviated "NPO" also "not-for-profit" is a legally constituted Organization whose objective is to support or engage Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. LCRA's mission is to protect people, property and the environment by providing public services for more than one million people in Central and Southeast Texas. These services include electric and water supplies, flood management, water and wastewater utilities, public parks along the Highland Lakes and lower Colorado River, and community and economic development services to rural and suburban communities.
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Hydroelectric dams
The Lower Colorado River Authority operates six hydroelectric dams along the Colorado River in the Central Texas area:
- Buchanan Dam - forms Lake Buchanan
- Inks Dam - forms Inks Lake
- Wirtz Dam - forms Lake LBJ, which also serves as a cooling pond for LCRA's Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant
- Max Starcke Dam - forms Lake Marble Falls
- Mansfield Dam - forms Lake Travis
- Tom Miller Dam - forms Lake Austin
Other LCRA power plants and cooling reservoirs in the Colorado River basin include:
- Lake Fayette - cools the Fayette Power Project (co-owned by Austin Energy and LCRA)
- Lake Bastrop - cools the Sim Gideon Power Plant and the Lost Pines Power Project 1 (owned and operated by GenTex Power Corporation, a wholly owned affiliate of LCRA)
LCRA manages water quality, water safety and recreation on the Highland Lakes (except Lake Austin, which is managed by the City of Austin). Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water A dam is a barrier that divides waters. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water while other structures such as Floodgates, Levees The Colorado River is the 18th longest river in the United States. Central Texas (a part of which is Texas Hill Country) is a region (and a physiographic section as it pertains to geography in the U Buchanan Dam ( was constructed from 1931 to 1937 and was the first dam to be completed in the chain of Texas Highland Lakes on the Colorado River of Texas. Lake Buchanan was formed by the construction of Buchanan Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority to provide a water supply for the region and to provide Hydroelectric Inks Dam was constructed from 1936 to 1938 and forms Inks Lake, one of the seven Texas Highland Lakes. Inks Lake is a reservoir on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. Wirtz Dam (formerly Granite Shoals Dam) was constructed from 1949 to 1950 in tandem with Max Starcke Dam to provide Hydroelectric power and to form Lake Lyndon B Johnson (or Lake LBJ) is a reservoir on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. The Thomas C Ferguson Power Plant is a Natural gas fired Power plant located near Marble Falls Texas in Llano County Texas. Max Starcke Dam is a Dam in the US state of Texas. Named for Max Starcke the second General Manager of the Lower Colorado River Authority Lake Marble Falls is a Reservoir on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. Mansfield Dam (formerly Marshall Ford Dam) is a Dam located at ( WGS 84 datum) across a Canyon at Marshall Ford on the Colorado Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado River in central Texas in the United States. Tom Miller Dam is a Dam located at 302932 -977855 ( WGS 84 datum) on the Colorado River within the city limits of Austin Texas Lake Austin is a reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin Texas in the United States. Fayette County Reservoir is a Power station cooling Reservoir on Cedar Creek in the Colorado River basin 10 miles (16 km east of LaGrange The Fayette Power Project, also known as Sam Seymour power plant, is a Coal fired Power plant located at near La Grange Texas in Fayette Austin Energy is the Public utility providing electrical power service to a area including Austin Texas and parts of the surrounding area in Travis Lake Bastrop is a reservoir on Spicer Creek in the Colorado River basin 3 miles (5 km northeast of the town of Bastrop in central The Sim Gideon Power Plant is a Natural gas fired Power plant located near Bastrop Texas in Bastrop County Texas. The Lost Pines Power Project 1 is a Natural gas fired Power plant located near Bastrop Texas in Bastrop County Texas. LCRA also monitors and protects water quality throughout the river basin.
Electric distribution
LCRA distributes electricity to wholesale electric customers - mostly municipal utilities and electric cooperatives - via a network of over 3,700 miles of transmission lines. Electric power transmission, a process in the delivery of Electricity to consumers is the bulk transfer of electrical power LCRA also purchases electricity generated by wind power projects in West Texas. Wind Power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form such as electricity using Wind turbines At the end of 2007 worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was
Parks and community services
The LCRA operates over 30 public parks, recreation areas and river access sites along the Highland Lakes and lower Colorado River. Several LCRA parks have natural science centers that offer outdoor educational and recreational programs for youths and adults. [1]
The LCRA's community services programs provide matching grants for community development projects and local park projects, assist communities in planning for economic development, help attract tourism and businesses, and train community leaders.
References
- Lower Colorado River Authority from the Handbook of Texas Online
External links
- LCRA main web site
- LCRA parks web site
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