| Palo Duro Creek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | North Palo Duro Creek and South Palo Duro Creek |
| • location | Morse, Texas |
| • coordinates | 36°06′06″N 101°27′54″W / 36.10170°N 101.46505°W |
| Mouth | Beaver River |
• location | Hardesty, Oklahoma |
• coordinates | 36°39′22″N 100°58′09″W / 36.65609°N 100.96913°W |
| Length | 135 km (84 mi) |
Palo Duro Creek is formed in Texas from the junction of North Palo Duro Creek and South Palo Duro Creek north of Morse, Texas.[1] The creek continues generally northeast until it becomes a tributary of the Beaver River (North Canadian River) in Oklahoma at a point east-northeast of Hardesty, Oklahoma, west of Balko, Oklahoma, and north of U.S. Route 412 near the Texas County/Beaver County line, downstream from the Optima Lake project.[2]
North Palo Duro Creek in turn originates at about the Dallam County/Hartley County line east of Dalhart and west of Cactus in Texas.[3] South Palo Duro Creek originates east of the Hartley County/Moore County line, west-northwest of Dumas, Texas.[4]
Palo Duro Creek is impounded at Palo Duro Dam, about 10 miles north of Spearman, Texas.[5] The dam was authorized in 1985.[6] The reservoir was created for both water supply and recreation purposes.[6] The earthen dam has a maximum height of 128 feet and a length of 3,800 feet, with a maximum storage capacity of almost 61,000 acre-feet.[6] It was completed by the County of Moore (providing 72% of the funding),[7] County of Hansford, and City of Stinnett in March 1991.[6] But the reservoir has never reached more than a few percent of its capacity: both the creek and reservoir rely on surface runoff to fill, in an area with little rainfall and prone to drought.[7]
- ^ "Morse, Texas". Mapquest. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- ^ "36.640000, -100.970000". Mapquest. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ "Cactus, Texas". Mapquest. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- ^ "Dumas, Texas". Mapquest. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- ^ "Palo Duro Reservoir". Texas Parks & Wildlife. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Palo Duro Reservoir (Canadian River Basin)". Texas Water Development Board. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "A Texas County Invests $39 Million in a Lake That's Almost a Dry Hole". Russell Jones, Reporting Texas, July 30, 2017. 30 July 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2020.