Lady Bird Lake

Lady Bird Lake
Image of Lady Bird Lake with Austin in the background.
View from Lady Bird Lake toward Downtown Austin.
Location of Lady Bird Lake in Texas, USA.
Location of Lady Bird Lake in Texas, USA.
Lady Bird Lake
Location of Lady Bird Lake in Texas, USA.
Location of Lady Bird Lake in Texas, USA.
Lady Bird Lake
LocationCentral Austin, Texas,
United States
Coordinates30°15′03″N 97°42′49″W / 30.25083°N 97.71361°W / 30.25083; -97.71361
TypePower plant cooling/recreational reservoir
Primary inflowsColorado River
Primary outflowsColorado River
Basin countriesUnited States
Built1960
Surface area468 acres (189 ha)
Max. depth18 ft (5.5 m)
Surface elevation428 ft (130 m)

Lady Bird Lake (formerly, and still colloquially referred to as Town Lake) is a river-like reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas, United States. The City of Austin created the reservoir in 1960 as a cooling pond for a new city power plant. The lake, which has a surface area of 416 acres (168 ha), is now used primarily for recreation and flood control. The reservoir is named in honor of former First Lady of the United States Lady Bird Johnson.[1]

Lady Bird Lake is the easternmost lake of a chain of reservoirs on the river, which is completely located in Texas, and should not be confused with the larger Colorado River located in the Southwestern United States. This chain, known locally as the Texas Highland Lakes, also includes Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Travis, and Lake Austin.

  1. ^ "Lady Bird Lake". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved December 30, 2010.