Basically the title gets this started - here in the DFW area, which 5 lakes would you say are the "lowest" from their levels. If you can rank in order from 1 - Most Severe to 5 - Least Severe (list wise), that'd be really helpful. This isn't any test or official business, just a curious question that might make for a good reference point in the future maybe. Thanks for your time!

A few minutes looking at this table will give you the answer.
http://waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/statewide

Probably all the ones with hydro power. I think its pretty stupid to drain the lakes for hydropower during drought when we have a surplus of cheap natural gas.

Lake Lavon, 1-5. It takes all of them lol it has disappeared... though the construction at Lewisville and them draining it further for that hasn't helped any there either for sure

I will take a look for sure. Thank you for letting me know!

This is the kind of information I'm really interested in as well. Basically opinions, as the other link to the scientific measurements will also be very helpful. Thanks for commenting!

LOW? Sorry guys but yalls lake ain't that low. If you wanna see low lakes look west. We are literally losing lakes out here. OC Fisher, Spence, Abilene, JB Thomas, and Baird are GONE. Sweetwater, HUbbard Creek, OH ivie, Stamford, Brownwood, Arrowhead.....I could keep going. All at historical low levels. Twin Buetts is being pumped dry as we speak, will only have 200 acres of water by the end of the month is their plan.
Hubbard is down 27ft. Ivie over 40ft low.

We all need rain bad and I hope we all get it, but if I hear one more person complain about Twok being 9ft low, I might vomit.

And take a look at Medina and Travis down south.....Oh, Lord, we need rain - lots of rain.

I say Granbury, or PK
because I go to those

This isn't something that has to be guessed at or gather folks opinions. There are a number of websites including this one - http://www.lakelevels.info/?StateID=TX - and the one above that will give you this information almost real time.

Hydro power in the DFW area is minimal. The real question I think about is why "WE" are not building natural gas fired power plants all over the USA. Remember when this Barnet Shale gas exploration kicked off all over North Texas 15 years ago and it was touted as enough natural gas to supply the US with gas longer than most of will live? Just drove to Kingsville last weekend and it's amazing the countless wells that are being dug down there. More then you can count for as far as you can see. This field makes the Barnet Shale look like a toy. There are not that many increases in uses for Natural Gas in the US to even start to effect the additional availability of gas. We ought to be building gas fired electric plants everywhere. Like everything else though one thing effects another. You still need a water supply for steam conversion to drive the generators but my understanding is the amount of water lost to steam is minimal as long as the unused water is returned to the source. Will anyone give me 1 cent for my 2 cents? :-)

361V the electric power industry has changed in the way water is used. Before we would take water from
the lake filter it and polish it to be able to use it in the steam generator(boiler) to make steam to
turn the turbine/generators. That water is mostly all recovered. The other place we used water was to
cool things down and to run thru the condenser to turn the steam back into liquid to be used again. All
the cooling water was returned to the lake. The water returned is usually 90 to 110 degs. which in itself
will cause more lake surface evaporation thus losing more water than a lake without a power plant. Now that
process has changed. Our government has mandated that any new power plants have cooling towers to cool the
water that the plant uses and to keep pollutants out of the water.HAHAHA By using coolong towers you lose
at least 50% more water than the old way. A cooling tower works just like our old evap. coolers in that you would flood the pads, the water would evaporate and the squirrel cage pulled the cool air in the house. Remember how
the A/C had the water line attached to it to keep a constant supply of water in the bottom for the pump to
pump water over the pads at all time. Same thing with a cooloing tower. Now the newer combined cycle plants
send water up the stacks to cools the exhaust and cut down on NOX and that water is lost also.
There are lots of reasons why there are not a lot of natural gas plants being built even though there is a glut
of fuel for them.

Johnny

Oh yeah as for hydro power, as far as I know Possum Kingdom had the only hydro plant in its dam.
It has/had 2 units that are 12.5 megawatts each. 1 Megawatt is said to be enough to power 1000
homes, so at its full capacity it could power 25,000 homes in theory. If I remember right only
1 of the units was functional. BRA surrendered their operating license for the 2 units which
basically renders them inoperable. To a point I understand their reasoning for the unit that wasn't
working but for the other unit it doesn't make sense. They have to let the water out anyway so that
makes any power made with this water basically free. They could probably power Palo Pinto, Graford and
Mineral Wells with the power the unit would make. I would think that would be a lot of money coming
in every month.

Johnny

Johnny, I have been in the one at possum kingdom. There is also a very small one at lake lewisville. There may be others, but you are correct. The hydro power around here is pretty minimal other than PK.

Speak for your own lake. Texoma was above average for most of the summer, they drained it 9 feet from October to February to power homes during the winter.