February 2025

Dam Progress in a Snapshot (or Fifty)

Check out this year of progress on the Lake Ralph Hall dam intake and spillway - literally from the ground up.

New, Fish-Friendly Features

Texas Parks and Wildlife staff are creating future fish habitat at Lake Ralph Hall this winter by arranging rocks, logs and reef balls into various structures. To date, they have constructed 38 “spider humps” (log/rip-rap piles), placed 203 reef balls at 30 different “reef” locations, and constructed five, 10,000 square foot spawning beds in areas that will be 3-8 feet deep. 

The Parks and Wildlife team has also planted about 600 Buttonbush trees near the future lake’s shoreline, so they will be established when the lake opens. These shrubs are common to Texas reservoirs and provide shoreline stabilization and cover for sunfish and bass.

Workers placing logs for spider hump fish structures.

Adding rocks to make fish structures.

Finished spider hump fish structure.

Last Piece of Pipeline Laid

This February 4, Upper Trinity, its contractors and local officials celebrated the extensive collaboration behind the 32-mile water pipeline to deliver water from Lake Ralph Hall to district customers, Ladonia and Fannin County. Project partners were invited to sign a commemorative piece of pipe for future display. Stay tuned for more details about the completion ceremony in next month’s eNewsletter.