Wirtz Dam -- Marble Falls TX
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Benchmark Blasterz
N 30° 33.371 W 098° 20.291
14R E 563472 N 3380603
One of two Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) hydroelectric dams in Marble Falls (Max Starke Dam is the other), Wirtz dam creates Lake LBJ in this picuresque Central Texas town
Waymark Code: WMPQKZ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/08/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member fi67
Views: 5

LCRA operates six hydroelectric dams on the Highland Lakes of central Texas. Wirtz Dam, at what used to be called Granite Shoals, backs uip water to create Lake LBJ. Five of the 6 LCRA dams were built for the primary purpose of making hydroelectric power. Although all LCRA dams can manage floodwaters, only Mansfield Dam, downstream at Lake Travis, was to hold back floodwaters.

From the LCRA website: (visit link)

"LCRA dams form the Highland Lakes
Structures designed for flood management, water supply, hydroelectricity

LCRA operates six dams on the lower Colorado River in Central Texas: Buchanan, Inks, Wirtz, Starcke, Mansfield and Tom Miller. These dams form the six Highland Lakes: Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, Travis and Austin.

Flood management
Each of the dams was built to manage floods, but Mansfield Dam, which forms Lake Travis, is the only one designed to hold back floodwaters.

. . .

Electricity

The dams in the Highland Lakes chain have hydroelectric generation stations that contribute to the Central Texas energy supply. Together, the hydroelectric plants at the dams can provide more than 295 megawatts of electricity per year.

Hydroelectricity was once the major source of power for LCRA's electric service area, but hydroelectric generation now is primarily a byproduct of other river operations. Water is moved through hydroelectric generation solely to create power at the request of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas during a power emergency.

From the Wirtz Dam page: (visit link)

Wirtz Dam and Lake LBJ
Lake provides cooling water for nearby power plant
Once named Granite Shoals

Wirtz Dam was built from 1949 to 1951 primarily to provide additional hydroelectric power. It was built in tandem with Starcke Dam downstream. Lake LBJ provides cooling water for LCRA's Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant along Horseshoe Bay.

The dam and lake originally were called Granite Shoals. The dam was renamed in 1952 for Alvin J. Wirtz who was instrumental in LCRA's creation and served as its first general counsel. The lake was renamed in 1965 for another advocate of LCRA, President Lyndon B. Johnson.

FYI: Wirtz Dam

Location: Llano and Burnet counties, 387 river miles from the Gulf of Mexico

When built: 1949 to 1951

Dam dimensions: 118.3 feet high, 5,491.4 feet long

Primary purpose: Hydroelectric power, cooling water for Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant

Generating capacity: 60 megawatts

Top of dam: 838 feet above msl

Floodgates: 10

Discharge capacity: 317,400 cubic feet per second (cfs):

10 floodgates @ 30,800 cfs each

2 turbines @ 4,700 cfs each

Original name: Granite Shoals Dam

Details on Lake LBJ

Lake area: 6,275 acres

Lake elevation when full: 825 feet above mean sea level (msl)

Volume when full: 133,216 acre-feet

Historic high: 836.2 feet above msl on Sept. 11, 1952

Historic low: 793.8 feet above msl on Nov. 16, 1970

Target operating range: 824.4 feet to 825 feet above msl

100-year flood level at dam: 828.1 feet above msl

Dimensions: 21.15 miles long and 10,800 feet at widest point

Original name: Lake Granite Shoals"
Operational: yes

Type of power station: Conventional (dams)

Type of turbine: Other/Unknown

Operator: Lower Colorado River Authority

Visitor center: no

Date built: 01/01/1949

Generation capacity: 60MW

Visit Instructions:
For posting a log to an existing waymark, you will need to post a unique picture of the power station. If is not open to the public, please do not enter private property. A picture from the distance is sufficent. If it's possible to enter the machine hall, a picture of it would be nice. Please add some additional informations if possible.
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Benchmark Blasterz visited Wirtz Dam -- Marble Falls TX 10/08/2015 Benchmark Blasterz visited it