Sterling C. Robertson Dam Made Lake Limestone

Sterling C. Robertson Dam crosses the upper Navasota River. It runs 8,395 feet and stands 70 feet high. Earth and concrete form the structure. When it began holding back the river in 1978, Lake Limestone spread into Robertson, Leon, and Limestone counties. The water reaches 43 feet deep at the dam.

Water supply was the original job. A state permit approved the project in 1974. The Brazos River Authority built it without tax dollars. Water sales to Texas Electric Utilities paid for construction, and the company used the water to cool lignite-burning power plants. The reservoir rises and falls with weather and supply use. Free public areas offer boating, fishing, and seasonal waterfowl hunting, but those secondary uses can narrow when the water drops.

The reservoir also became fish habitat. Stained water meets gently sloping banks, flooded timber, cattails, lily pads, pondweed, willows, boat houses, and docks. Largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, and three catfish species use that cover. Five freshwater fish reefs add more structure. In early spring, white bass leave the open lake and run up the Navasota to spawn. That run ties the reservoir back to the river still passing through it.