Lake Kickapoo
Lake Kickapoo | |
---|---|
Location | Archer County, Texas, United States |
Coordinates | 33°39′40″N 098°46′34″W / 33.66111°N 98.77611°W |
Lake type | reservoir |
Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 6,200 acres (2,500 ha) |
Lake Kickapoo is a reservoir located on the North Fork Little Wichita River in the Red River Basin of Archer County, Texas. It is neighbored by Archer City, Texas (population of 1,834) and Wichita Falls, Texas (population of 104,553) which reside within the Central Great Plains ecoregion.[1]
Hydrology
Lake Kickapoo reservoir was created by the impoundment of North Fork Little Wichita River, its only in-flow tributary, in 1946.[2] The out-flow tributaries are Kickapoo Creek, Brier Creek, and Slippery Creek. It has a mean water level of 1,038 feet, surface area of 4,312 acres, and elevation of 1,060 feet above sea level as of 2022.[2] The storage capacity, as of October 29, 2022, is 51,596 acre-feet with a maximum capacity of 86,345 acre-feet.[3] The reservoir storage has steadily dropped by 293 acre-feet/year since 1945 when it had a total capacity of 106,000 acre-feet, due to increasing drought events in the region.[4]
Ecoregion
Lake Kickapoo resides within the Broken Red Plains subdivision of the
Uses
Water supply
The construction of Lake Kickapoo Dam began in January 1945 and was completed on December 15, 1945. However, the deliberate impoundment of the North Fork Little Wichita River, a
One of the nine Air Force Space Surveillance System (formerly NAVSPASUR) sites is located at Lake Kickapoo (33°32.764′N 98°45.763′W). Lake Kickapoo Field Station is one of three transmitter sites of the southern surveillance network, which is operated by the U.S. Naval Command. The purpose of these stations is to maintain an electromagnetic fence that has the capability to identify objects as far as 15,000 nautical miles. [9]The Lake Kickapoo field station was constructed in 1951 to fill a gap in the surveillance fence. It is considered unique due to its transmitting power of 560 kilowatts via the combination of commercial FM and TV power unit frequencies.[10]
Recreation
Sports fishing
The main source of recreation for Lake Kickapoo is sports fishing. The reservoir contains sports fish species, such as Blue catfish (abundant), Channel catfish, Flathead catfish, White Bass (abundant), Largemouth Bass, and White Crappie (declining in abundance).[11] These fish species are supported by prey fish, such as Gizzard shad (abundant) and Bluegill (decreased abundance).
Management plans have been enacted to support the genetic diversity of Largemouth Bass due to this species designation as a source for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department hatchery brood stock program.[11] This is due to the decline in habitat for spawning and nursery areas via decreased water elevation.
History
Namesake
The name was derived from the Native American Kickapoo tribe that was native to that area along with the nearby inflow stream, Kickapoo Creek.[12]
Land use
There is an elevated abundance of
Dam
Lake Kickapoo Dam was designed by F. M. Rugeley and A. J. Gates.[14]
References
- ^ "Texas ecoregion map". Native Plant Society of Texas. 2019-02-08. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
- ^ a b "Lake Kickapoo (Red River Basin) | Texas Water Development Board". www.twdb.texas.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
- ^ "Water Data For Texas". waterdatafortexas.org. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
- ^ "Volumetric Survey of Lake Kickapoo" (PDF). Texas Water Development Board. September 2013 – via TWDB.
- ^ )
- ^ a b "Lake Kickapoo (Red River Basin) | Texas Water Development Board". www.twdb.texas.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
- ^ a b Democrat, Daily. "Lake Kickapoo Dam in Archer County, TX". Daily Democrat. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
- ^ "Volumetric Survey of Lake Kickapoo" (PDF). Texas Water Development Board. September 2013 – via TWDB.
- ^ "US Naval Space Command Space Surveillance System". spp.fas.org. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
- OCLC 669553664.
- ^ a b "Kickapoo Reservoir Survey Report". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
- ^ "Lake Kickapoo (Red River Basin) | Texas Water Development Board". www.twdb.texas.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
- )
- ^ "Volumetric Survey of Lake Kickapoo" (PDF). Texas Water Development Board. September 2013 – via TWDB.