Grapevine Lake is a reservoir located in the North Texas region, about northwest of Dallas and northeast of Fort Worth. It was impounded in 1952 by the US Army Corps of Engineers when they dammed Denton Creek, a tributary of Trinity River. The reservoir's primary purposes are flood control and to act as a municipal water reservoir, with a secondary function of providing recreation and open-space areas. The lake's name comes from the city of Grapevine, Texas, to which the lake is adjacent. History and construction On March 2, 1945, the U.S. Congress approved the River and Harbors Act of 1945, which among many projects, provided for the construction of Benbrook Lake, Grapevine Lake, Lavon Lake, and Ray Roberts Lake, as well as modifications to the existing Garza Dam for the construction of Lewisville Lake. All the projects were for the purposes of both flood control and navigation. These lakes became part of an extensive floodway system that is operated in a coordinated manner to minimize flooding along the Trinity River floodplain. The Grapevine Dam and Reservoir project, as it was originally known, was initiated in January 1948. Located on Denton Creek, a tributary of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, the project spans parts of both Tarrant and Denton Counties. In this area immediately north of the City of Grapevine, the Corps of Engineers obtained about 15,700 acres (63.5 km²) of land and placed easements on another 2,200 acres (8.9 km²) to be flooded by the new reservoir. The project was completed in June 1952, and impounding of water began July 3, 1952. Statistics The dam is a rolled earth-fill type, 28 feet (8.5 m) thick, which spans 12,850 feet (3,920 m). The crest of the dam is located at 588 feet (179 m) above sea level. At the dam, the original creek bed was at , making the dam roughly tall. The dam's spillway is located at around above sea level. This gives it a flood capacity of at least , including an allowance for the build-up of sediment in the lake's bottom. Typically, the lake is maintained near its conservation level, at , giving it a capacity of and a surface area of 7,280 acres (29.5 km²). At conservation level, the lake has nearly of shoreline. Water rights Three municipalities have water rights to the lake: Grapevine, Dallas, and the Dallas County Park Cities, which provides