Lake J. B. Thomas (Colorado River Basin)
Lake J. B. Thomas (also known as Colorado River Dam) is located about sixteen miles southwest of Snyder in Scurry County, on the Colorado River. The lake extends into Borden County when water level is high. The lake was named after Julian B. Thomas, former President of Texas Electric Service Co. who fought hard for water supply for West Texas. The lake is owned and operated by the Colorado River Municipal Water District (CRMWD) for the purpose of supplying water to the District's member and customer cities. Authorization for the dam (Water Rights Permit No. 1394) was issued to CRMWD on August 19, 1946. Construction of the dam started on March 26, 1951. Deliberate impoundment of water began in July of 1952 and the project was completed in September of 1952. This dam was constructed by J.W. Moorman and Son, is approximately 14,500 feet long with a maximum height of 105 feet, and features an uncontrolled morning glory service spillway. The reservoir has a maximum normal capacity of 200,604 acre-feet of water while covering approximately 7,282 acres at the elevation of 2,258 feet above mean sea level. The dam controls a drainage area of 3,524 square miles, of which 2,590 square miles is probably noncontributing.