Lake Alan Henry

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Lake Alan Henry is a reservoir in Garza County, Texas, in the upper Brazos River Basin. It was created when the John T. Montford Dam was completed in 1993. Built to provide a future water supply for the city of Lubbock, the lake also serves as a popular recreation area for West Texas.

The lake covers about 2,880 acres (1,170 hectares) and has an average depth of 40 feet (12 meters), with a maximum depth of 100 feet (30 meters). When full, it holds around 96,207 acre-feet of water (about 40 billion gallons). The surface sits at about 2,220 feet (680 meters) above sea level, and the shoreline stretches roughly 56 miles. Lake Alan Henry lies about 4 miles east of Justiceburg and 45 miles south of Lubbock, on the Double Mountain Fork Brazos River. Water levels typically fluctuate by 2–4 feet each year, and visibility ranges from 1–4 feet, with vegetation mainly consisting of flooded trees along the shore.

Construction of the dam began in 1991, and it started operating in 1993. The dam is named for Senator John T. Montford, and the lake is named for a former mayor of Lubbock. When the reservoir began to fill in 1994, Lubbock officials started a water-quality monitoring program. To use Lake Alan Henry water, plans included three pumping stations, a new treatment plant, and about 65 miles of pipeline to connect to the city, with a projected maximum yield of 23 million gallons per day.

Lake Alan Henry is stocked with various fish to support recreation, and the area includes the Sam Wahl Recreational Area, which covers more than 580 acres. Today, people visit the lake for fishing, water skiing, hunting, hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities. There is a mercury advisory for some fish species in the lake.