Toledo Bend Reservoir

Toledo Bend Reservoir is a reservoir on the Sabine River between Texas and Louisiana. The lake has an area of 205,000 acres, it s 15 miles across at its widest point and has over 1,264 miles of shoreline. Its storage capacity is 4,777,000 acre-feet and it has an average depth of approximately 60 feet. It is the largest manmade lake in the south, and the fifth largest surface acre lake in the United States. The dam is located near Hornbeck, Louisiana in Sabine Parish and on the Texas side it is near Burkeville. The dam forms part of the Louisiana-Texas border. The reservoir extends northward on the Louisiana side into parts of Sabine Parish and further north to DeSoto Parish where the Town of Logansport is located. Logansport is at the headwaters of the Toledo Bend Reservoir. From the dam site north of Burkeville, Texas the reservoir extends up the shoreline 65 miles to the Town of Logansport, Louisiana.

The Toledo Bend Project was constructed primarily for the purposes of water supply, hydroelectric power generation, and recreation. The power generated by this facility is purchased by the three electric utility companies involved in the creation of the reservoir, hydro electrical power generating complex and the dam in cooperation with both the State of Louisiana’s Sabine River Authority and the Sabine River Authority of Texas. The cost of the project was $70 million. The building project was built without the use of Federal funds.

In 1950 the Sabine River Authority, State of Louisiana was created for the proposed reservoir project. The land acquisition was completed in 1963 and the work on the reservoir began in 1964. The construction was completed in 1969. Impoundment of water was begun in October 1966. The power plant was completed and began operation in early 1969.

The Town of Logansport is the only town in DeSoto Parish with a riverfront and its location on the riverbank of Toledo Bend Reservoir and the Sabine River that continues to the north, provides easy access for water oriented outdoor recreation. With its public River Park, boat launches and outdoor public community facilities for picnicking and family gatherings, it is a popular destination.

Toledo Bend Dam

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