Benbrook Lake

Benbrook Reservoir is an artificial lake in the Trinity River basin ten miles south of Fort Worth and just south of Benbrook in southwestern Tarrant County (at 32°39' N, 97°27' W). It is owned by the United States government and operated by the Fort Worth District of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Construction of the dam on the Clear Fork of the Trinity River began in May 1947 and was completed in December 1950. Water impoundment began in September 1952. The reservoir, which meets area flood control, conservation, navigation, and recreational needs, has a capacity of 88,250 acre-feet and a surface area of 3,770 acres at an elevation of 694 feet above mean sea level. It drains an area of 429 square miles above its dam. It is in an area of variable terrain surfaced by shallow, stony, clay loams that support juniper and oak trees, chaparral, cacti, and grasses. Six public parks are located on the reservoir's forty miles of shoreline, many offering picnic, camping, boating, and swimming facilities. Some residential development has taken place around Benbrook Reservoir.