Canyon Lake (Texas)

Canyon Lake is a reservoir on the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. Canyon Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir formed on the Guadalupe River in Comal County by Canyon Dam, which is located about sixteen miles northwest of New Braunfels. The dam, lake, and all adjacent property are managed by the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers. Water rights, waste water treatment, and hydroelectric generating facilities are managed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. Construction of the dam began in 1958 and was completed in 1964. The reservoir serves to provide flood control and water conservation for the communities downstream from the dam. The lake is also a popular recreational destination.

Geography

Canyon Lake is located at 29°52′53″N 98°14′24″W / 29.88139°N 98.24000°W / 29.88139; -98.24000. It is located in northern Comal County, Texas, on the northeastern fringe of the San Antonio-New Braunfels MSA. It is about 35 mi (56 km) northeast of Downtown San Antonio and 40 mi (64 km) southwest of Austin. Towns in the immediate vicinity of the lake include Canyon City, Crane's Mill, Hancock, Fischer, Sattler, and Startzville, all part of the census-designated place known as Canyon Lake, Texas. Larger towns nearby include New Braunfels and San Marcos.

Canyon Lake

Canyon Lake may refer to:

Bodies of water

Places

Canyon

A gorge or canyon (cañon, old spelling occasionally still used) is a deep ravine between pairs of escarpments or cliffs and is the most often carved landscape by the erosive activity of a river over geologic timescales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cut through underlying surfaces so will eventually wear away rock layers to lessen their own pitch slowing their waters; given enough time, their bottoms will gradually reach a baseline elevation—which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This action, when the river source and mouth are at much different base elevations will form a canyon, particularly through regions where softer rock layers are intermingled with harder layers more resistant to weathering.

A canyon may also refer to a rift between two mountain peaks, such as those in ranges including the Rocky Mountains, the Alps, the Himalayas or the Andes. Usually a river or stream and erosion carve out such splits between mountains. Examples of mountain-type canyons are Provo Canyon in Utah or Yosemite National Park in California's Sierra Nevada. Canyons within mountains, or gorges that have an opening on only one side are called box canyons. Slot canyons are very narrow canyons, often with smooth walls.

Lake

A lake is an area of variable size filled with water, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land, apart from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean (except for sea lochs in Scotland and Ireland), and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are also larger and deeper than ponds, though there are no official or scientific definitions. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams, which are usually flowing. However most lakes are fed and drained by rivers and streams.

Natural lakes are generally found in mountainous areas, rift zones, and areas with ongoing glaciation. Other lakes are found in endorheic basins or along the courses of mature rivers. In some parts of the world there are many lakes because of chaotic drainage patterns left over from the last Ice Age. All lakes are temporary over geologic time scales, as they will slowly fill in with sediments or spill out of the basin containing them.

Many lakes are artificial and are constructed for industrial or agricultural use, for hydro-electric power generation or domestic water supply, or for aesthetic or recreational purposes.

Canyon Lake, Texas

Canyon Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Comal County, Texas, United States. The population was 21,262 at the 2010 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Canyon Lake CDP includes a number of small, unincorporated communities surrounding Canyon Lake, including Sattler, Startzville, Canyon City, Cranes Mill, and Hancock. Communities located on the fringes of the CDP are Fischer, Spring Branch, and Smithson Valley.

Geography

Canyon Lake, Texas is located at 29°52′53″N 98°16′03″W / 29.881462°N 98.267460°W / 29.881462; -98.267460. It is located adjacent to Canyon Lake, from where it gets its name. It is located about 20 miles north-by-northwest of New Braunfels and about 40 miles north-by-northeast of Downtown San Antonio.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 156.9 square miles (406 km²), of which, 144.3 square miles (374 km²) of it is land and 12.6 square miles (33 km²) of it (8.04%) is water.

Demographics