A 14,500-Foot Dam Made Lake J.B. Thomas

Lake J.B. Thomas lies on the Colorado River southwest of Snyder and reaches into Borden County when it rises high enough. It is also known as Colorado River Dam. The lake carries the name of Julian B. Thomas, a Texas Electric Service Company leader who pressed for more water supply in West Texas.

The Colorado River Municipal Water District owns and operates the reservoir to supply its member and customer cities. The district received its dam permit on August 19, 1946. Construction began on March 26, 1951, deliberate impoundment began in July 1952, and the project was finished that September.

The dam is about 14,500 feet long and reaches a maximum height of 105 feet. At conservation pool, the reservoir covers 7,282 acres. TPWD lists a maximum depth of 61 feet, severe annual fluctuation of 4 to 10 feet, and normally turbid water.

Largemouth bass, white bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, and white crappie make up the main fishery. TPWD also lists shoreline access, picnic and camping areas, and a marina ramp off FM 1298. The reservoir began as a regional water project, but the same long dam created a second landscape for fishing and weekends. Scurry County's broad open water and its city water supply are two parts of the same 1950s project.