No floodgates Inks Dam Small dam creates 837-acre Inks Lake
Inks Dam, owned by LCRA, creates Inks Lake.
Before Buchanan Dam was completed, LCRA began work three miles downstream on this smaller dam so the two could work in tandem.
Inks Dam, constructed from 1936 to 1938, has no floodgates and the power plant is the smallest in the Highland Lakes chain. A small amount of water can be released through hydroelectric generation, but the bulk of floodwater passes over an uncontrolled spillway.
The lake and dam are named for Roy B. Inks, one of the original directors on the LCRA Board.
Location: Llano County, 409 river miles from the Gulf of Mexico When built: 1936 to 1938 Dam dimensions: 96.5 feet high, 1,547.5 feet long, 75.1 feet thick at the base, 16.5 feet thick at the top Lake area: 837 acres Primary purpose: Hydroelectric power Generating capacity: 14 megawatts Floodgates: None Discharge capacity:
3,200 cubic feet per second (cfs)
1 turbine @ 3,200 cfs
Original name: Arnold Dam
DETAILS ON INKS LAKE
Elevation when full: 888.22 feet above mean sea level (msl) Volume when full: 15,063 acre-feet Historic high: 902.8 feet above msl on July 25, 1938 Historic low: 877.1 feet above msl on Dec. 06, 1983 Normal operating range: 886.9 feet to 887.7 feet above msl Spillway Elevation: 888.3 feet above msl 100-year flood level at dam: 901.7 feet above msl 500-year flood level at dam: 911 feet above msl Top of dam: 922 feet above msl Dimensions: 4.2 miles long, 3,000 feet at widest point