Barker Reservoir | |
---|---|
Location |
Houston, Texas, United States |
Coordinates | 29°46′11″N 95°38′47″W / 29.769674°N 95.646335°WCoordinates: 29°46′11″N 95°38′47″W / 29.769674°N 95.646335°W |
Type | reservoir |
Basin countries | United States |
(This article is about the Barker Reservoir near Houston, Texas. For the reservoir near Nederland, Colorado, see Barker Meadow Reservoir).
Barker Reservoir is a flood control structure in Houston, Texas which prevents downstream flooding of Buffalo Bayou, the city's principal river. The reservoir operates in conjuction with Addicks Reservoir to the northeast, which impounds Mayde and Bear creeks, two tributaries of the Buffalo. Both reservoirs were authorized under the Rivers and Harbors Act of June 20, 1938, which were modified by the Flood Control Acts of August 11, 1938; September 3, 1954; and October 27, 1965.
George Bush Park, operated by Harris County, is located entirely within the reservoir.
Houston annexed the Addicks area in 1972.
Barker Reservoir is southwest of the intersection of Interstate 10 and State Highway 6, about one mile (1.6 km) south of Addicks in western Harris County.
The Barker Reservoir spillway is located at 29°46′10.86″N 95°38′47.09″W / 29.7696833°N 95.6464139°W.
The Barker Dam and Reservoir is named for Eldred Barker (1775-1842), an early pioneer from Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, whose 1839 Headright Grant comprises 320 acres of the site which was first surveyed on September 22, 1842.