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Overview
Lake J.B. Thomas is a roughly 7,280-acre reservoir on the upper Colorado River in Scurry and Borden counties, west of Snyder in West Texas. The dam was completed in the early 1950s and is operated by the Colorado River Municipal Water District (CRMWD) for municipal and industrial water supply for member cities in the region.
At conservation pool the lake has about 88 miles of shoreline, an average depth near 13 feet, and a maximum depth of about 61 feet. West Texas plains topography, broad flats, and wind-exposed open water characterize the basin, and prolonged drought can shrink the pool dramatically compared with design conditions.
J.B. Thomas supports regional boating and fishing for largemouth bass, catfish, and crappie when water is available, with fisheries managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Public access and recreation facilities around the reservoir serve Snyder and surrounding West Texas communities.
Water levels are managed by CRMWD around a conservation pool of 2,258 feet above mean sea level (NGVD29). A separate flood pool is not prominently published; elevations track municipal demand and sparse upper Colorado inflows. Downstream CRMWD storage includes O.H. Ivie Reservoir, so monitoring current J.B. Thomas levels is important for boating, fishing, and shoreline access.
Lake J.B. Thomas is a 7,282-acre reservoir on the Colorado River (Texas) managed by Colorado River Municipal Water District (CRMWD).