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Lake Limestone - Sterling C. Robertson Dam

Lake Limestone, located on the upper Navasota River in Limestone, Robertson and Leon counties, is a water supply reservoir built by the Brazos River Authority in 1978. The project was authorized through a permit issued by the State of Texas in 1974.

Construction of the reservoir was completed entirely without the use of tax dollars; having been made possible through the sale of water to Texas Electric Utilities to be used for cooling of their lignite-burning electric plants in the area.

Water from the lake is supplied for similar use at a NRG steam-electric plant just east of the lake and a Texas Municipal Power Agency power plant located near the Navasota River 50 miles downstream.

Lake Limestone was formed by the construction of Sterling C. Robertson Dam. The earthen and concrete dam runs 8,395 feet, stands 72 feet tall, contains a service spillway housing five "tainter" gates for water release and a 3,000-foot emergency spillway. The depth of the lake at the dam is 43 feet.

When full, the lake reaches an elevation of 363 feet mean sea level and covers a surface area of 12,553 acres. The reservoir holds back 208,017 acre-feet or 73.5 billion gallons of water. The BRA is permitted by the state to utilize 65,074 acre-feet of water per year from Lake Limestone.

Lake Limestone is a water supply reservoir and will fluctuate with supply use and weather conditions. The BRA provides free public access areas at various locations around the reservoir for boating, fishing and seasonal waterfowl hunting; however, recreational activities are a secondary benefit to water supply and are available when water levels allow for use.