Buffalo Springs Lake
Buffalo Springs Lake, located on Farm Road 835 nine miles southeast of Lubbock in Lubbock County (at 33°32' N, 101°42' W), provides a major recreation area for West Texas. The lake comprises 200 surface acres and has a storage capacity of 3,950 acre-feet. Buffalo hunters first used Buffalo Springs in 1874, when they skirmished with Comanche Indians there. The Causey brothers built a half dugout at Buffalo Springs in 1877, and a year later ranchers moved into the area. Picnics and outings were very popular with the early settlers. The springs were then on land owned by the S. I. Johnston ranch. To develop the site as a recreational spot, Sheriff Bud Johnston and his brother Jim initiated simple improvements. In the late 1920s, after the estate was sold, pioneer J. A. (Andy) Wilson formed the Buffalo Lakes Association and put a small dam across the canyon. Memberships were sold, and boating, swimming, fishing, hunting, camping, and picnicking were available. Some members of the association built cabins around the lake. In December 1957 Lubbock County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1 bought 1,612 acres around Buffalo Lake to provide a community recreation center. The surface level of the lake was elevated repeatedly, most recently in 1960; the site of the main springs has been inundated, though the springs still flow. They have, in fact, benefitted by recharge of their aquifer with water from Lake Meredith, by way of Lubbock lawns and gardens.
The reservoir is owned and operated by the Lubbock County Water Improvement District No. 1 for recreational purposes. Water Right Permit No. 12-37065 was issued for the reservoir to the District by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on February 20, 1958. Construction of the dam began in early 1958, and the dam and spillway were completed at the end of 1959. Deliberate impoundment started September 15, 1959, and on July 6, 1960 water was flowing over the spillway for the first time. All parts of the project were accepted as complete on July 15, 1960. The dam is a compacted earthfill structure 1,600 feet long and 68 feet high with the top of the dam at an elevation of 3,029.4 feet above mean sea level. The lake has a capacity of 4,200 acre-feet and a surface area of 200 acres at the spillway elevation of 3,015 feet above mean sea level. The dam controls a large drainage area of about 6,000 square miles, but most areas are non-contributing.
The lake is surrounded by farmland and grows rife with summer weeds because of nutrients from the watershed. Its fish include largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, striped bass, and walleye. Florida bass were first stocked in 1983, and striped bass fishing is good. A rare member of the horsetail family, the bottlebrush plant, occurs only at the lake. Near the lake, residents lease land from the county and pay for their own improvements. A five-member board elected by county voters governs the lake; members serve alternating terms of two years. Areas are provided for waterskiing, fishing, boating, picnicking, horseback riding, hiking, and camping. Many special events are held at the lake each year, including boat races, waterskiing shows, bicycle races, sailboat regattas, marathons, and country music programs. A small entrance fee is charged, and an estimated million people visit the lake each year.