Crooked Lake Texas - Lake Level Information

Crooked Lake Texas is a natural, seepage, pothole or ground water level lake. It is not a spring-fed or tributary-fed lake, nor does it have any inlets or outlets. It relies on precipitation and runoff to maintain its level. The lake also serves as a recharge basin for the aquifers below the surface and this "draining" effect, coupled with warm weather evaporation, significantly lowers the lake level during the summer months. Therefore, to maintain a lake level that allows all lake property owners access to the lake, the Crooked Lake Texas Association installed a pump in 1965. The cost of purchase, installation and operation of this pump was paid for by the lake members based on voluntary contributions.

As the original pump aged it required more and more maintenance. Since a higher lake level benefits all property owners, it was determined that the cost of operation and maintenance of the pump should be shared by everyone. Therefore, a petition to create a Special Assessment District was presented to the lake property owners in 2000 and the measure passed. In spite of the increased revenue to maintain and operate the pump, the original pump continued to lose efficiency and the lake level receded significantly. A lower lake level has many consequences:

It became apparent that to maintain a desirable lake level a new pump would be needed. The lake property owners were petitioned once again to approve the purchase of a new pump. The measure passed and a new pump was installed in 2002. Shortly after installation the original pump completely failed and was removed.

Board members Fred Bowman and Jim Hackenberg take a lake level measurement in March, 2006
Crooked Lake Texas Lake Level Monitoring
Board members taking lake level measurement

The CLTA has established a desired lake-level mark for the lake of 895.45 feet above sea level. The CLTA Board takes monthly readings of the lake level based on a civil engineering benchmark and using sophisticated level measuring devices. Lake level monitoring officially started in February, 2006. Below are the monthly measurements:

Month/YearMeasurement (ft. above sea level)Pump Status
February, 2006893.82Running, but screen is plugged and maintenance scheduled
March 22, 2006893.86Running, pump still in need of repair.
April 14, 2006893.78Pump being repaired, currently not running. This is one reason why the lake level has dropped since last month's reading.
May 5, 2006893.5Pump running but not at full capacity. Trying to determine exact reason as pump is mechanically sound and clean.
June 2, 2006893.5Same pump status as May. CLTA Board is obtaining a second opinion on the well and pump.
July 3, 2006893.2Water level is down 4.53 inches since June reading. The pump is running but less than 1/2 capacity. Well cleaning and pump repair is scheduled for July 24, 2006
July 27, 2006892.9Water level is down 3.5 inches since July 3 reading. The pump is currently torn apart for cleaning and pump upgrades. We hope to be up and running at a much higher output rate sometime next week.
September 1, 2006893.00Water level up 1 inch from July 27 reading. Pump is running.
October 6, 2006893.2Water level up 2.75 inches from Sept. 1 reading. Pump is running.
November 15, 2006893.4Water level up 2.25 inches from Oct. 6 reading. Pump is running.
December 15, 2006893.75Water level up 4.25 inches from Nov. 15 reading. Pump is running.
January 12, 2007894.00Water level up 3 inches from Dec. 15 reading. Pump is running.
March 12, 2007894.42Water level up 5 inches from Jan. 12 reading. Pump is running.
April 13, 2007894.59Water level is up 2 inches from March 12 reading. Pump is running.
May 7, 2007894.42Water level is down 2 inches from April 13 reading. Pump is running.
June 7, 2007894.25Water level is down 2 inches from May 7 reading. Pump is running.
July 18, 2007893.5Water level is down 8.55 inches from June 7 reading. We've had virtually no precipation over the last month. Pump is running.
August 23, 2007893.65Water level is up 1.25 inches from July 17 reading, due in large part to some heavy rains. Pump is running.
October 11, 2007893.25Water level is down 4.55 inches from August 23 reading. Pump was down two weeks due to equipment problems. Now back up and running.
November 14, 2007893.34Water level is up 1 inch from October 11 reading.
March 26, 2008894.67Water level is up 16 inches from the November 14, 2007 reading.
May 20, 2008894.73Water level is up 3/4 inch from the March 26, 2008 reading.
July 10, 2008894.53Water level is down 2.46 inches from the May 20, 2008 reading.
August 20, 2008894Water level is down 6.25 inches from the July 10, 2008 reading.
October 4, 2008894.63Water level is UP 7.45 inches from the August 20, 2008 reading. This is due to the extremely heavy rainfall (approx. 10 inches) in September.
November 19, 2008894.84Water level is up 2.55 inches from the October 4, 2008 reading. We are within 7 inches of our target lake level.