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Sabine
Parish Tourism Commission |
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| ATTRACTIONS Fort Jesup Golfing Los Adaes Nearby Attractions Parks / Recreation Areas Rebel SHS Stoker Hills Hiking Trail Toledo Bend Dam & Reservoir |
Toledo Bend Dam & Reservoir |
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Toledo Bend Reservoir is located on the Sabine River which forms part of the border between Texas and Louisiana.
Beginning in May 1963, land acquisitions for Toledo Bend Reservoir started as a joint management project of Texas and Louisiana River Authorities. The construction of the dam, spillway and power plant was initiated in April 1964. The closure section of the earthen embankment and impoundment of water was begun in October 1966. The power plant was completed and began operating in the early part of 1969. From the dam site, which is north of Burkeville, TX, the reservoir extends up the river for about 65 miles to Logansport, LA, and inundates land in Sabine, Shelby, Panola and Newton Counties, Texas, and Sabine and DeSoto Parishes, Louisiana. Toledo Bend Reservoir is the largest man made body of water in the south and the fifth largest in surface acres in the United States, with water normally covering an area of 185,000 acres and having a controlled storage capacity of 4,477,000 acre-feet (1,458,934,927,000 gallons). It is the nation's only public water conservation and hydroelectric power project to be undertaken without federal participation in its permanent financing. The Toledo Bend Project was constructed by the Sabine River Authority of Texas, and the Sabine River Authority of Louisiana, primarily for the purposes of water supply, hydroelectric power generation, and recreation. Toledo Bend, with its 1,200 miles of shoreline, offers an almost unlimited opportunity for recreational development and is a major element in serving the growing demand for water oriented outdoor recreation. Both private and public facilities are available for swimming, boating, picnicking, fishing, camping, hunting and sightseeing. The lake has a large area of submerged timbers, which serves as the fishes prime habitat. Black bass, crappie, blue gill, feisty striped bass and catfish are found in abundance in the lake. Guided fishing trips can be booked through many of the local marinas. A population of 300 pounds of game fish per acre and an annual fingerling restocking program make Toledo Bend one of the best fishing lakes in the country with an abundance of black bass, white bass, stripers, Florida bass, crappie, bream and catfish. Lake record catches include 14 pound for bass and just under 5 pounds for crappie. Stripers can run up to 40 pounds in size and bream fishing is great for kids because they are easy to catch and the action is fast. Along the timbered shoreline are marinas, lakeside cottages and fine luxury homes. There is a natural harmony with the woods, the land and the water. Throughout the region, nature's abundance of wild flowers, scented blooms, majestic pines and leafy shade trees all erupt in fountains of color. Yet, there is a blend in the mysterious, almost primitive shallow bayous and coves that make up the shoreline. The area surrounding Toledo Bend Reservoir is home to many species of birds including coastal shorebirds, pelicans, egrets, cranes, bald eagles, ducks and a host of migrating birds. Other wildlife in the area include white tail deer, fox, armadillo, opossum, raccoon, coyote, wolf, beaver and wild hog. A moderate climate with minimum temperature in January
average 38 to 40 degrees and the maximum temperature in July averaging
94 degrees and an annual rainfall of about 50 inches allow year-round
recreational use of Toledo Bend Reservoir. |
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Toledo Bend Dam
and Generating Station Some Facts LOCATION: The large site straddles the border of Texas and Louisiana. The dam and generating complex is in Newton County, Texas (near Burkeville, Texas) and Sabine Parish, Louisiana (near Hornbeck, Louisiana). This site forms part of the Texas-Louisiana border. RESERVOIR: The largest man-made body of water in the South, the lake covers 205,000 acres, is 15 miles across at its widest point, and has 1,264 miles of shoreline. The reservoir has a storage capacity of 4,777,000 acre-feet (one acre-foot is the volume of water required to cover an acre of land to a depth of one foot), and it has an average depth of 60 feet. POWER PLANT CAPABILITY: The two hydroelectric power generators boast a generating capacity of 92,000 kilowatts. The estimated annual energy output is 205 million kilowatt-hours. OPERATING FACTS: The two generators are operated by remote control facilities from the Entergy System Control Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. COST: Texas and Louisiana, through their respective Sabine River Authorities and in cooperation with three investor-owned utility companies - Gulf States Utilities Company, Louisiana Power and Light Company and Central Louisiana Electric Company - created the reservoir, dam and generating complex at a cost of $70 million. More remarkable, however, was that the project was built without using federal funds in permanent financing. Power generated by this hydroelectric facility is purchased by the three electric utilities. GSU receives half the power, while LP&L and CLECO share the other half. CONSTRUCTION: The dam alone required 9 million yards of excavation, 8 million yards of embankment and 9,500 tons of steel. A joint $3.5 million highway relocation project was needed to elevate portions of Louisiana Highway 6 and Texas Highway 21.
Hydroelectric Power Cycle The Toledo Bend generating station is the only hydroelectric (water-powered) plant operated by Entergy. Here's a summary of how it works:
The dam is operated by Entergy Corporation and the information immediately above is from one of their brochures. |
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