There are many astonishing bodies of water on this planet. Some are natural, and some are man-made. One example of an impressive feat of humankind is the Richland-Chambers Reservoir.

The original purpose of this reservoir was to provide a water supply for the area. However, it has evolved into a well-loved lake that is not only practically useful but also a great recreational area. If you are wondering how deep is the Richland-Chambers Reservoir in Texas, the answer to this question is below!

Where Is the Richland-Chambers Reservoir?

The Richland-Chambers Reservoir is located in the state of Texas, specifically in Freestone County and Navarro County. It is south of Kerens and east-southeast of Corsicana. In terms of big cities, it is 60 miles southeast of downtown Dallas. Interstate 45 runs north to south just slightly west of this body of water.

The impoundment of Chambers Creek and Richland Creek formed this reservoir. The dam is at the eastern end of the “Y” shaped reservoir, which has about 330 miles of shoreline. One arm of the “Y” stretches west, and the other stretches in the northwest direction.

How Deep Is the Richland-Chambers Reservoir?

The Richland-Chambers Reservoir is 75 feet deep at its deepest point, although the depth at any specific point can vary depending on the terrain upon which the reservoir was built.

The top of the conservation pool of this reservoir is located approximately 315 feet above sea level. The fluctuation range is about three feet around this level.

History of the Richland-Chambers Reservoir

The Tarrant Regional Water District owns and operates the Richland-Chambers Reservoir. This reservoir exists for flood control, irrigation, water supply, and recreation purposes.

The original plans to build this reservoir were set in place after a drought in the 1950s. It was supposed to be a public water source for Tarrant County. However, no one took action until October 1979. This was when the water district issued $342.75 million in revenue bonds.

Construction of the dam began in October 1982, with the impoundment of water starting in July 1987. The reservoir was completed in November 1987, and it was filled up by May 1989. The 90-inch pipeline between the reservoir and Lake Benbrook became operational in November 1988.

The Tarrant Regional Water District owns most of the water rights to this reservoir, whose clarity is typically cloudy to moderately clear. The pipeline pumps the water from this reservoir to balancing reservoirs, as well as to Lake Benbrook for storage. It then moves to either Eagle Mountain Lake or water treatment plants.

Richland-Chambers Dam is an earthen embankment that is 6.5 miles long. At its tallest point, it stands at a height of 120 feet above the water. The spillway of the dam is located at Station 133, which is about one mile north of the original Richland Creek. This spillway is about 960 feet long, and 24 tainter gates control it.

What is the Surface Area of the Richland-Chambers Reservoir?

At the top of the conservation pool, this reservoir can hold 1,112,763 acre-feet of water. The surface area of this reservoir at this point is 43,384 acres. The reservoir allows a surcharge of two feet above the top; if the water is filled up to this point, the reservoir can hold a total of about 1,211,263 acre-feet of water, and the surface area will now be 45,500 acres.

The Richland-Chambers Reservoir is the eighth-largest reservoir in Texas by water volume and the third-largest inland reservoir by surface area.

Things to Do at the Richland-Chambers Reservoir

Even though the primary purpose of this reservoir has always been for water supply, it is also a popular recreational site. People like to go swimming, boating, and fishing here. There are numerous boat launch sites, as well as The Harbor Inn Restaurant & Club on the banks of the lake.

Since this reservoir is relatively new, the traffic level is generally low. There is also plenty of space available for lakeside housing.

The Richland-Chambers Reservoir is the perfect location for anglers. There is an abundance of crappie, blue and channel catfish, hybrid striped bass, and white bass. Locations with clear water and visible vegetation are great for finding largemouth bass, but these areas do not comprise a large proportion of the lake.

Smallmouth buffalo and carp are also among the predominant fish species in this reservoir. The lake has been deliberately stocked with Florida bass, blue catfish, channel catfish, and copper nose bluegill.

For about a decade after the construction of this reservoir, largemouth bass tournaments were common, with many basses caught around 35 pounds. However, multiple droughts have since diminished the average size of these catches. This reservoir is no longer a top lake for bass fishing.

A common strategy among anglers is to set up a jug line for catfish and then go after bass. This reservoir might be the most consistent source of black and white crappie in the area.

An Invasive Species in the Richland-Chambers Reservoir

Currently, zebra mussels have invaded the Richland-Chambers Reservoir. Zebra mussels are native to Eurasian waters, specifically those of Russia and Ukraine. It is a mollusk that is typically about the size of a human fingernail, although the largest one can be about two inches in length. Each one has a pattern of dark stripes on its shell, which gives the animal its name.

Zebra mussels have multiple negative impacts on ecosystems. They are filter feeders and end up filtering out algae that native species typically feed on. They also incapacitate native mussel species and clog up water intakes. In addition, the waste they produce ends up on the lake floor and can interact with sunlight to form cladophora, a species of algae that can be a nuisance.

In order to help prevent the spread of zebra mussels, anyone boating in the Richland-Chambers Reservoir needs to make sure to thoroughly clean, drain, and dry their boats, trailers, and all equipment before moving the boat to another body of water. Otherwise, zebra mussels that latch onto these materials can spread and multiply elsewhere.

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The Original Mexican Eats Cafe, founded in 1930 and one of Texas’ oldest Tex-Mex restaurants, is losing its location and will combine with a north side Original, owner Robert Self said Monday.

The Original’s location at 4713 Camp Bowie Blvd., will close at the end of March.

A 2021 appeals court decision voided the current lease signed 20 years ago. Self and landlords have been unable to reach a new agreement..

The Original will continue at its newer second location, 1400 N. Main St.

“We cherish the five generations of loyal customers who have supported us through many decades, and we thank them for loving our enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, margaritas and laid-back ambiance,” Self wrote in an announcement.

“...We recognize and regret that this is the end of an era for Fort Worth’s West Side,” Self wrote, saying the Original is dedicated to carrying on the atmosphere and traditions at the North Main Street location. All employees will be offered jobs there, he wrote.

Anthony Cuesta, an attorney for landlord Joe Frank Muzquiz, from the family that once owned a radio-TV shop next door, wrote in a statement that the landowners “appreciate the reverence from the community that The Original has earned over so many years.”

He referred to the 2021 court decision that the long-standing lease signed in 2003 by the late Leticia Grimaldo, owner of the small strip shopping center in the Arlington Heights neighborhood, was legally invalid.

The 8th Texas Court of Appeals in El Paso ruled that the lease is not “perpetual” and can end.

“I am grateful that after seven years of litigation ,,, my clients will no longer be subjugated by a lease that was so oppressive that the Court of Appeals found it to be legally ‘unconscionable.’ “

The restaurant is nationally known for chili-covered, retro Tex-Mex and its “Roosevelt Special” platter, named for presidential son Elliott Roosevelt.

The combination plate was Roosevelt’s favorite in the 1930s when he lived on a ranch near Benbrook and often hosted his parents, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Other restaurants in Houston and New York have served similar Tex-Mex menus, one even including a “Roosevelt Special.”

Restaurant founders Lola San Miguel Piñeda from Múzquiz, Mexico, and her husband, former Spanish soldier Gerónimo Piñeda of Barcelona, moved here via Laredo and Waco and opened The Original in 1930, according to Star-Telegram archives and census records. (Self has cited a 1926 opening date.)

In a 1932 clipping, Piñeda described the combination “No. 1” plate: “tacos, Mexican rice, chile con queso, Spanish salad, toasted tortillas, Mexican candy [a praline] and a bottle of ice cold Pearl beer” — 50 cents.

The news is the second jolt to Fort Worth restaurants within a week.

On Feb. 16, Edelweiss German Restaurant announced that it will close after 56 years on the Benbrook Traffic Circle at 3801 Southwest Blvd. The restaurant is open nightly through Feb. 28, and is seeking another location.

With the move by The Original, Joe T. Garcia’s, 2201 N. Commerce St., becomes the oldest full-service restaurant in Fort Worth still in its original location. It opened there in 1935.

(One exception: The restaurant in the Hilton Fort Worth opened in 1921 along with what was then the Hotel Texas.)

Here are more of Fort Worth’s oldest restaurants:

? Carshon’s Delicatessen, 3133 Cleburne Road, opened downtown in 1917, 1925 or 1928, according to various sources. It has moved several times.

? The Paris Coffee Shop, 704 W. Magnolia Ave., opened in 1926 but has moved one block west.

? Riscky’s Bar-B-Q, 2314 Azle Ave., remains in the same location where it moved in 1927 as a grocery-market that started nearby in 1925 as “Bunker & Riscky.”

The market paired Belarus immigrant Joe Rucky — he changed it to Riscky — and Polish immigrant Marcelia Bunkiewicz Riscky. The actual building was rebuilt in 1950.

? Bailey’s Barbeque, 826 Taylor St., opened in 1931 and remains in the same location.

Along with Black’s in Lockhart, it is one of the two oldest barbecue restaurants in Texas still run by the founding family.

Mexican Inn Cafes opened in 1936 but have moved around.

The next oldest restaurants are Sammie’s Bar-B-Q, 1946, and Cattlemen’s Steak House, 1947.

The Chaf-In Restaurant, 200 W. Henderson St. in Cleburne, might be the Fort Worth area’s oldest restaurant. It opened in 1920 at a nearby location.

In Dallas, the first El Fenix restaurant opened in 1918.

This story was originally published February 20, 2023, 4:25 PM.

After a decade of visiting the trails at Tandy Hills Natural Area, Benbrook resident Breena Riley invited one of her friends to tag along on a hike.

The green space in the middle of the city surprised her friend. But Riley knew this area has not always been this way. She said she has seen firsthand how the native prairie was not well maintained until recently.

“There’s been a lot more love put into them over the past few years and it shows in the trail improvements,” Riley said.

Soon, Riley and her friend will have more to explore near Tandy Hills, with neighboring Broadcast Hill preparing to upgrade its trail system. The city’s Open Space Conservation Program purchased 50-plus acres of Broadcast Hill in 2020, helping to preserve some of the last remaining prairie in Fort Worth.

Last fall, the North Texas Community Foundation awarded a $150,000 grant to the city of Fort Worth to build a trail at Broadcast Hill and connect it to paths at Tandy Hills, the nature area south of Interstate 30, east of downtown.

Brandi Kelp, a senior planner who oversees the open space program, helped to bring those dollars to east Fort Worth.

“It would have happened eventually, but it could have been years down the road,” Kelp said. “This grant allows us to jump years ahead on that master plan, and complete the trail system.”

The city’s plan for Broadcast Hill is to add about two miles of trails that will connect to nearby paths and create an entrance with parking. The grant will also help fund two natural resource management interns who will be in charge of educating the public on why it’s important to stay on the trails and take care of the landscape.

“A lot of this is about public education and helping people understand how they can enjoy the sight without causing damage to it,” Kelp said.

Broadcast Hill is a popular prairie in West Meadowbrook and named after the transmission tower that sits atop its hill.

Fort Worth currently doesn’t have a dedicated natural resource management team, but plans to use interns as a test run for a permanent team, Kelp said. Kelp expects maintenance to be minimal, with occasional mowing to help wildflowers.

Controlling invasive species, installing trail maps and markers, and habitat restoration are also a part of the North Texas Community Foundation grant to the city.

Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area, a group of residents dedicated to protecting the prairie, played a large role in the restoration of Tandy Hills and the original purchase of Broadcast Hill.

In 2020, the non-profit fundraised roughly $64,400 to help the city buy Broadcast Hill, which cost a total of $610,000. Fort Worth’s oil and gas fund was used for the rest of the purchase.

Broadcast Hill was the Open Space Conservation Program’s first purchase. Last November, the city bought another five properties spanning 29 acres on the western shoreline of Lake Arlington for $2.5 million.

Don Young, a co-founder of Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area, also helped with the application process for The North Texas Community Foundation grant. He wrote the application letter and was a part of a video for the grant.

“I have always believed that Tandy Hills and Broadcast Hill deserve to have the same protections and care as that of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge,” Young said. “We aren’t there yet, but this grant money will help.”

Kelp expects the trail to be finished in about a year.

Riley, the frequent Tandy Hills hiker, knows the passion that goes into caring for the area. She’s glad the city is preserving the prairie and looks forward to the new trail.

Disclosure: The North Texas Community Foundation has been a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

Juan Salinas II is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at juan.salinas@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter.

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Muscle car enthusiast and Fort Worth native Richard Rawlings is giving one lucky fan the ride of a lifetime.

Rawlings, known from his Discovery Channel show “Fast N’ Loud” which ran from 2012-2020, is also the owner and operator of Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas.

He launched the fifth Gas Monkey Garage Giveaway this week, which gives a fan the chance to customize a 2023 Dodge SRT Challenger Jailbreak. The winner and two guests will be flown to Dallas to customize the vehicle.

The over 800-horsepower Challenger is one of the last V-8 models Dodge is making before moving toward electric vehicles. Rawlings realizes that going electric is the new thing, but he isn’t quite ready to give up on the gas guzzlers he’s known for.

“As far as electric goes, it’s got its advantages and disadvantages but the world’s not going to really know what we’ve got shoved down our throat by the man, so to speak, until there’s two or 300 million batteries laying around,” he said. “Then we’ll realize what we did wrong or right.”

The Gas Monkey giveawayhanded out twoe million in cars and cash to fans, Rawlings said.

The car being given away is special given how rare it is to find a Dodge SRT Challenger Jailbreak in the wild. Since this is Dodge’s last gas-powered wave, its become nearly impossible to find the car and if someone does find one, it more than likely will come customized from the previous owner, Rawlings said.

The giveaway winner will get a chance to hangout at Gas Monkey headquarters and choose from 40 to 50 different options on the car. Everything from paint and wheel options, to caliber and seat color, is al up for customization.

The prized car is valued at $135,000, including an additional $25,000 in cash for the winner. Fans have until April 20 to enter the giveaway and a winner will be selected in early May.

Fans can enter the contest by purchasing gear from Gas Monkey Garage’s website. Every dollar spent online equals one entry and if a White Monkey Sticker pack is included in the purchase, it doubles the amount of entries.

The giveaways are always fun, not just for the winner, but the Gas Monkey crew too.

“This will be a blast,” Rawlings said. “They get to come in and hang out with me, drink a beer or two, have some Texas barbecue and build their own Jailbreak car.”

Country music icon Brad Paisley wants you to know how similar the United States and Ukraine are, so he enlisted the help of Volodymyr Zelenskyy to lend his voice in the musician’s new song.

The song, titled “Same Here,” was released on Friday, Feb. 24, the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It features a conversation with Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president.

Paisley told The Associated Press the song was written to display the similarities between the United States and Ukraine.

“There’s just no differences,” Paisley told the AP. “You can put us in different places with different flags and different languages, but we have so many similarities.”

The song does not mention Ukraine or Zelenskyy by name, but Paisley references a “friend across the ocean” who goes through many of the same tribulations as him.

“He’s got his own kind of football team that / Lets him down every year,” Paisley sings. “A wife he loves and a bunch of dreams / For his country he holds so dear / He prays for peace and freedom / Same here.”

It ends with a recorded conversation between Paisley and Zelenskyy.

Paisley asks the president how to say “Same here” in Ukrainian, and Zelenskyy goes on to tell the singer how their countries share many of the same values.

“We speak different languages in our life. Yes, but I think we appreciate the same things,” Zelenskyy tells Paisley. “Children, freedom, our flag, our soldiers, our people. The biggest treasure we have. And friends. And we’re proud of our army who defends our freedom and will defend our lives.”

More than 8,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the war, which began Feb. 24, 2022, according to the United Nations. But Yuriy Belousov, Ukraine’s prosecutor for human rights violations, told The Independent there could be as many as 100,000 victims.

Paisley recently became an ambassador for the United24 platform, which Zelenskyy launched as a venue for charitable donations for Ukraine. The campaign has also been promoted by actor Mark Hamill and singer Elton John, among others.

“Same Here” is the debut single off Paisley’s upcoming album, which is expected to be released later this year. Royalties from “Same Here” will be donated to United24, he told the AP.

“As an American, I see how very similar we are, how we share so many common values with these brave people in Ukraine, and I’m focusing my efforts on helping Ukrainian families rebuild and return to their homes,” Paisley said in January.

Why did Putin just call for a ceasefire in Ukraine? It has to do with a Russian holiday