Mountain Creek Lake

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Mountain Creek Lake
Location	Dallas, Texas
Coordinates	32°43′09.37″N, 96°57′39.22″WCoordinates: 32°43′09.37″N, 96°57′39.22″W
Lake type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Mountain Creek
Primary outflows	Mountain Creek
Catchment area	295 sq mi (764 km²)^[1]
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	2.75 miles (4.43 km)
Max. width	2 miles (3.22 km)
Surface area	2,710 acres (10.97 km²)^[1]
Water volume	22,840 acre·ft (28,170,000 m³)^[1]
Surface elevation	458 feet (140 m)^[1]
Settlements	Dallas

Mountain Creek Lake is a reservoir located 8 miles (13 km) southwest of downtown Dallas, Texas (USA) in the Mountain Creek area of the city. It is located south of SH 180, west of Spur 408, north of I-20, and east of FM 1382. The defunct Naval Air Station Dallas (Hensley Field) is located on the northwestern shore of the lake. Mountain Creek Lake Park is on the lake's southeastern and southwestern edges.

There is currently a ban on eating any fish out of this lake due to high contamination levels of PCB's. This is due to the use of airplane fuels and other toxic chemicals throughout the history of Hensley Field. ^[1]

[edit] History

Construction on Mountain Creek Dam began in 1929 and the dam was complete in early 1937. The reservoir was designed as a cooling reservoir for a Dallas Power and Light Company electric power plant.^[1]

The original permit for the lake suggested a capacity of 40,000 acre feet (49,400,000 m³), but the capacity in 1992 was only 22,840 acre feet (28,200,000 m³) due to heavy siltation.