Wright Patman Dam

Wright Patman Dam is an earth-fill dam across the Sulphur River in northeast Texas in the United States. The water impounded by the dam forms Wright Patman Lake.

Lake Texarkana Spillway during the 1960s taken at sunset from the west side with U.S. highway 59 in the background.

Geography

Wright Patman Dam is located at 33.327 N, 94.161 W (WGS 84 datum); this is nine miles (14 km) southwest of Texarkana, Texas. The dam straddles the border between Bowie County and Cass County.

The dam is 18,500 feet (5,639 m) long, with a 200-foot (61 m) wide spillway. The top of the dam is 286 feet (87 m) above sea level, or 100 feet (30 m) above the riverbed.

History

Wright Patman Dam (originally called Texarkana Dam) was authorized as part of the Flood Contract Act of 1946. Construction began in 1948, and the Sulphur River was blocked and routed through the dam's control gates in 1953. The gates were closed and water impounded in 1956. In 1973, the project was renamed in honor of Congressman Wright Patman of Texas.

The dam's design and construction were the responsibility of the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 1973, responsibility for the dam and lake were transferred to the Fort Worth District of the Corps of Engineers.

of the Lake Texarkana Dam during the initial phase of construction in Bowie county, Texas looking north.]]
A government photo of the gates on the dam at Lake Texarkana during construction.
An aerial photo of the Lake Texarkana Dam during the initial phase of construction in Bowie county, Texas looking north.
An early photo of the Lake Texarkana emergency spillway which has never been topped.
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