Tom Miller Dam

Tom Miller Dam is a dam located on the Colorado River within the city limits of Austin, Texas, United States. The City of Austin, aided by funds from the Public Works Administration, constructed the dam for the purpose of flood control and for generating hydroelectric power. Named after Robert Thomas Miller, a former Mayor of Austin, the dam forms Lake Austin, one of the Texas Highland Lakes.

Tom Miller Dam
Tom Miller Dam impounds Lake Austin. The downstream side is the beginning of Lady Bird Lake.
Official name	Tom Miller Dam
Location	Austin, Texas, United States
Coordinates	30°17′38″N 97°47′8″W
Construction began	1938
Opening date	1940
Operator(s)	Lower Colorado River Authority
Dam and spillways
Impounds	Colorado River
Height	100.5 feet (30.6 m)
Length	1,590 feet (485 m)
Width (base)	155 feet (47 m)
Spillway type	6 controlled bulkhead-gate
Spillway capacity	107,700 cu ft/s (3,050 m3/s) (4 floodgates at 15,300; 5 floodgates at 8,600; 2 turbines at 1,750)
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Austin
Surface area	1,599 acres (6.47 km2) [1]
Power Station
Turbines	2 [1]
Installed capacity	17.3 MW [1]

The dam began operating in 1940 and is located at the site of the city's two previous dams, each of which were destroyed during major floods and shared the same name, Austin Dam.^[2] It is currently leased to the Lower Colorado River Authority, who maintains and operates the dam.

See also

• Texas portal
• Water portal
• Renewable energy portal

• Austin Dam failure

References

1. "Tom Miller Dam and Lake Austin". Lower Colorado River Authority. 2007. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
2. Lower Colorado River Authority. "Highland Lakes and Dams". Retrieved April 23, 2021.

External links

• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. TX-127, "Tom Miller Dam, Colorado River, Austin, Travis County, TX"