Bryan Utilities Lake (Brazos River Basin)

Bryan Utilities Lake (also known as Lake Bryan) is a man-made reservoir located about five miles west of Bryan in Brazos County, on unnamed tributaries of Thompson Creek and unnamed tributary of the Little Brazos River which in turn is a tributary of the Brazos River.  The reservoir is owned by City of Bryan and operated by Bryan Texas Utilities as a cooling pond for the electrical generators in the Dansby Power Plant.  The dam is made up by a compacted earth embankment with a length of about 18,570 feet.  The reservoir was officially impounded in 1974.  At the normal elevation of 355.5 feet above mean sea level, the reservoir can store 15,227 acre feet water with a surface area of about 829 acres.  The dam controls only 1.975 square miles drainage area.  However, the owner can withdraw groundwater to maintain a sufficient water level in the reservoir for the cooling operation.