- Lower Colorado River Authority
The Lower Colorado River Authority or LCRA is a
nonprofit public utility that was formed in1934 by theTexas Legislature. LCRA's mission is to protect people, property and the environment by providing public services for more than one million people in Central and Southeast Texas. These services include electric and water supplies, flood management, water and wastewater utilities, public parks along the Highland Lakes and lower Colorado River, and community and economic development services to rural and suburban communities.Hydroelectric dams
The Lower Colorado River Authority operates six
hydroelectric dam s along the Colorado River in theCentral Texas area:*
Buchanan Dam - forms Lake Buchanan
*Inks Dam - formsInks Lake
*Wirtz Dam - formsLake LBJ , which also serves as a cooling pond for LCRA'sThomas C. Ferguson Power Plant
*Max Starcke Dam - formsLake Marble Falls
*Mansfield Dam - formsLake Travis
*Tom Miller Dam - formsLake Austin Other LCRA power plants and cooling reservoirs in the Colorado River basin include:
*
Lake Fayette - cools theFayette Power Project (co-owned byAustin Energy and LCRA)
*Lake Bastrop - cools theSim Gideon Power Plant and theLost Pines Power Project 1 (owned and operated byGenTex Power Corporation , a wholly owned affiliate of LCRA)LCRA manages water quality, water safety and recreation on the Highland Lakes (except Lake Austin, which is managed by the City of Austin). LCRA also monitors and protects water quality throughout the river basin.
Electric distribution
LCRA distributes electricity to wholesale electric customers - mostly municipal utilities and electric cooperatives - via a network of over 3,700 miles of transmission lines. LCRA also purchases electricity generated by
wind power projects in West Texas.Parks and community services
The LCRA operates over 30 public parks, recreation areas and river access sites along the Highland Lakes and lower Colorado River. Several LCRA parks have natural science centers that offer outdoor educational and recreational programs for youths and adults. [ [http://www.lcra.org/parks/results.html "Your Nearby Getaways" "LCRA".] ]
The LCRA's community services programs provide matching grants for community development projects and local park projects, assist communities in planning for economic development, help attract tourism and businesses, and train community leaders.
References
*
External links
* [http://www.lcra.org/ LCRA] main web site
* [http://www.lcra.org/parks/index.html LCRA parks] web site
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