The Morris Sheppard Dam at Possum Kingdom Lake was completed in 1941. It is 2,700 feet long and 190 feet high, consisting of nine crest gates that are each 74 feet long and 13 feet high. The manually operated gates are accessed via a catwalk and each gate passes approximately 9,600 cubic feet per second of water when fully open. To close the gates, an operator must use a safety harness and descend to the top of each gate to manually lock them into place.

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POSSUM KINGDOM LAKE
GATE OPERATIONS

2. BrazosRiverAuthority Morris Sheppard Dam at
Possum Kingdom Lake
Completed in 1941, the
Morris Sheppard
dam is 2,700 feet
long and 190 feet
high.
The dam consists of
nine crest "roof
weir" type gates,
each approx. 74
feet long and 13
feet high for the
passage of
floodwaters.
Each gate passes
approximately
9,600 cubic feet
per second (cfs) of
water when open.

3. BrazosRiverAuthority As a water supply lake, the
Morris Sheppard dam is
designed to hold water up to
the top of the dam gates;
whereas, a flood control lake
would tower as much as 50
feet above the top of the
lake’s conservation pool.
Built before the days of
computerized, electronically-
operated hydraulic gates, the
bear-trap type gates are
operated manually – much as
they were when the dam was
originally built.
Gates are accessed via a catwalk
that runs the length of the
gate area (top of photo).

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When a gate is open,
water flows over the
top, falling approx.
190 feet to the river
bed below.

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Foam is created
by the
churning of
the water as
it reaches
the riverbed
below. Here
the gate is
beginning to
rise, causing
an indention
in the flow of
water.

6. BrazosRiverAuthority As the gate is raised, the rate the water travels over the dam
begins to slow. A stream of water released from a low
flow gate may be observed in the background (left).

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When the gate is
fully raised, water
flow stops.

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To complete the
gate closure, a
member of the
operations team
must descend
to the top of the
gate to lock it in
place.

9. BrazosRiverAuthority Since the gates are accessible only via catwalk, the
operator must move to the top of the dam gate to
manually engage each of the ten locks across the
top.

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To ensure the
operators’
safety, a
body
harness is
attached to a
safety wire
running the
length of the
dam gate.

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By standing
on top of the
gate, the
operator
manually
accesses
the lever
locks.

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An operator has
to repeat this
procedure each
time a gate is
opened or
closed.

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Once each lever is locked, the operator returns to
the catwalk on the opposite side of the dam.

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