Lake Palestine (Neches River Basin)
Lake Palestine and Blackburn Crossing Dam are located about four miles east of Frankston, in northeastern Anderson, southeastern Henderson, southwestern Smith, and northwestern Cherokee counties on the Neches River. The dam is owned and operated by the Upper Neches River Municipal Water Authority for industrial, municipal, and recreational purposes.
Lake Palestine and Blackburn Crossing Dam were originally authorized under Permit No. 1832 (Application No. 1975) by the State Board of Water Engineers to the Upper Neches River Authority on July 12, 1956. Construction of the original dam started in 1960 and was completed on June 13, 1962. An enlargement project begun in 1969 and was completed on March 3, 1971. Lake Palestine is formed by an earthfill dam some 5,720 feet long and is used for water conservation, recreation, and wildlife preservation. The crest of the spillway is 345 feet above mean sea level, and the conservation storage capacity is 373,202 acre-feet with a surface area of 22,656 acres. The drainage area above the dam is about 839 square miles.