Sam Rayburn Reservoir Information

Sam Rayburn Reservoir is the largest man-made lake located entirely within the boundaries of the State of Texas, and covers 114,500 acres at normal elevation in five counties, (Angelina, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Sabine, and San Augustine). The dam and reservoir were dedicated in 1965 and named by President Lyndon B. Johnson in honor of the long-time Speaker of the House from Texas. Lake Sam Rayburn has 560 miles of shoreline, including 100 miles of national forest shoreline.

History of the lake:

Sam Rayburn Reservoir, formerly known as McGee Bend Reservoir, is dammed eighty miles north of Beaumont (at 31°04' N, 94°06' W). It is fed by the Angelina River and lies in Jasper, Angelina, Sabine, Nacogdoches, and San Augustine counties. Construction at the McGee Bend site began on September 7, 1956, and deliberate impoundment of water began on March 29, 1965. Paul Hardeman, Incorporated, of Stanton, California, served as general contractor for the project, which cost $63,290,000. The project was renamed in honor of Samuel T. (Sam) Rayburn in 1963.

The reservoir is designed for flood control and power generation, owned by the United States government, and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth district. The earthfill dam has a spillway crest elevation of 176 feet and a top flood-control pool capacity of 3,997,600 acre-feet. Its two hydroelectric plants generate a total capacity of 52,000 kilowatt-hours marketed by the Southwestern Power Administration. With a drainage area of 3,449 square miles, Rayburn Reservoir conserves water for municipal, industrial, agricultural, and recreational purposes.

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Sam Rayburn has thirteen developed recreation areas that are operated and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including : nine campgrounds, (primitive to highly developed), with more than 500 total campsites, sixteen multi-lane launch ramps, five group shelters, four picnic areas, four designated swimming areas, playground, volleyball, horseshoe and basketball facilities, interpretive trail, and more. In addition there are four outgranted marinas operated by private concessionaires.