Engineering

Lake Level

The generating schedule for Toledo Bend Dam is available 24/7 by calling (337) 286-LAKE (5253)

IF the spillway gates are open, the road and recreation area below the spill way, will be closed.

A new advisory has been posted 6/29/24 – Advisory-14

Operation Guide

Notes:

1. Maximum turbine discharge, capacity 30 M Ac. Ft. per day.
2. Releases for downstream flows shall be in accordance with Article VI of the Toledo Bend Project Power Sales
Agreement (April 30, 2018)
3. When pool stage is at or above 172.5 or 172.2 if the power plant is under repair or inoperable, operate spillway in
accordance with “Guide on Spillway Gate Operation.”
4. Control stages set forth above are to be maintained only to the extent possible when making releases through the
power plant. Spillway gates are to be opened only when stages specified in the “Guide on Spillway Gate Operation”
are reached.
5. During prime power season when stage of lake is near upper limit maintain close watch on inflow and make releases
for power generation to avoid spillway releases if possible.

* Releases to be determined based on best judgment considering upstream conditions, stages at Ruliff and inflows below dam.
** No generation below the 168’ msl except in the event of any of the following:
(1) the FERC, or successor agency orders or requires a reduction in the water level of the Reservoir for purposes of inspecting or repairing the dam,
(2) an insufficient supply of electric power to the Companies’ firm or non-interruptible power users will result,
(3) non-use of the waters of the Reservoir for the generation of hydroelectric power will result in the failure to satisfy minimum downstream flow requirements necessary to meet water sales from the diversion canals of the Authorities,
(4) non-use of the waters of the Reservoir for the generation of hydroelectric power will result in the failure to deter saltwater encroachment into Sabine River Estuaries.

History

As a result of rapid industrial development and the changing demands of an evolving economy during the late 1940’s, the people of the Sabine River area both in Texas and Louisiana realized a need to provide for the future of the area. In 1949, the Texas State Legislature created the Sabine River Authority of Texas, followed immediately by the Louisiana State Legislature in 1950, who created the Sabine River Authority, State of Louisiana. Together, these two bodies were given the duties of conserving and developing the waters of the Sabine River Basin for beneficial purposes.

In 1955 the seeds of Toledo Bend as we enjoy it today were sown by both Authorities cooperating under a memorandum of agreement. Studies were undertaken and the results clearly indicated the feasibility of such a project.

Toledo Bend is the largest man-made body of water in the South and the fifth largest in surface acres in the United States. From the dam site, the reservoir extends 65 miles upriver to Logansport, Louisiana and inundates land in Sabine, Shelby, Panola, and Newton Counties in Texas and Sabine, DeSoto, and Vernon Parishes in Louisiana. It was constructed for the purposes of water supply, hydroelectric power generation, and recreation. In all, the lake normally covers an area of 186,000 acres.

The construction cost of about $70 million was shared equally by Texas and Louisiana. The cost included the entire project – land, dam, spillway, powerhouse, new roads and bridges and clearing of boat lanes and shorelines. The states of Louisiana and Texas in 1959 arranged for the financing of $30 million in revenue bonds. Power generation and water sales are the main sources of income for the Authority’s operation and maintenance.

Land acquisition began in 1963, with construction of the dam, power plant, and spillway the following year. Following completion of the structures, the power plant began operation in early 1969. Toledo Bend Reservoir is the only public water conservation and hydroelectric project in the nation to be undertaken without federal participation in its permanent financing.

Engineering Staff