North Lake

North Lake is on the South Fork of Grapevine Creek two miles southeast of Coppell in northwest Dallas County (centered at 32°57' N, 96°58' W). North Lake Park is on the lake's southern shore. Construction on North Lake Dam, a compacted earth-fill structure with a spillway elevation of 510 feet above mean sea level, was begun in 1956 and completed in August 1957. The lake was intended as a cooling reservoir for an electric generating plant. The drainage area above the dam was three square miles. The dam was operated by the Dallas Power and Light Company. By 1978 the lake was used for fishing, in addition to industrial purposes. Fish growth was limited because of low nutrient levels, but in 1978 the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department began fertilizing the lake's waters and stocking the lake with bass. North Lake Park provided fishing access. Swimming was not allowed. In 1992 North Lake had a conservation storage capacity of 17,000 acre-feet and a conservation surface area of 800 acres.