Tom Miller Dam

Tom Miller Dam
Tom Miller Dam impounds Lake Austin. The downstream side is the beginning of Lady Bird Lake.
Official nameTom Miller Dam
LocationAustin, Texas, United States
Coordinates30°17′38″N 97°47′8″W / 30.29389°N 97.78556°W / 30.29389; -97.78556
Construction began1938
Opening date1940
Operator(s)Lower Colorado River Authority
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsColorado River
Height100.5 feet (30.6 m)
Length1,590 feet (485 m)
Width (base)155 feet (47 m)
Spillway type6 controlled bulkhead-gate
Spillway capacity107,700 cu ft/s (3,050 m3/s) (4 floodgates at 15,300; 5 floodgates at 8,600; 2 turbines at 1,750)
Reservoir
CreatesLake Austin
Surface area1,599 acres (6.47 km2) [1]
Power Station
Turbines2 [1]
Installed capacity17.3 MW [1]

Tom Miller Dam is a dam located on the Colorado River within the city limits of Austin, Texas, United States. The City of Austin, aided by funds from the Public Works Administration, constructed the dam for the purpose of flood control and for generating hydroelectric power. Named after Robert Thomas Miller, a former Mayor of Austin, the dam forms Lake Austin, one of the Texas Highland Lakes.

The dam began operating in 1940 and is located at the site of the city's two previous dams, each of which were destroyed during major floods and shared the same name, Austin Dam.[2] It is currently leased to the Lower Colorado River Authority, who maintains and operates the dam.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Tom Miller Dam and Lake Austin". Lower Colorado River Authority. 2007. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
  2. ^ Lower Colorado River Authority. "Highland Lakes and Dams". Retrieved April 23, 2021.


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