Buchanan Dam
| Buchanan Dam | |
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Buchanan Dam showing multi-arch structure and a set of floodgates
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 Location of Buchanan Dam in Texas
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| Official name | Buchanan Dam |
| Location | Burnet / Llano counties, Texas, United States |
| Coordinates | 30°45′05″N 98°25′06″W / 30.7514°N 98.4183°WCoordinates: 30°45′05″N 98°25′06″W / 30.7514°N 98.4183°W |
| Construction began | 1931 |
| Opening date | 1937 |
| Operator(s) | Lower Colorado River Authority |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Colorado River |
| Height | 145.5 feet (44.3 m) |
| Length | 10,987.6 feet (3,349.0 m) |
| Width (base) | 215.1 feet (65.6 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Buchanan |
| Power station | |
| Turbines | 3 |
| Installed capacity | 47.8 MW |
The Buchanan Dam (/ˈbʌkænən/) is a multiple arch dam located on the Colorado River of Texas. The dam forms Lake Buchanan and was the first dam to be completed in the chain of Texas Highland Lakes. The dam is used for generating hydroelectric power and for flood control and is located about 12 miles (19 km) west of Burnet, Texas.
Construction of the then-named George W. Hamilton Dam was started in 1931 by a company controlled by Samuel Insull, but soon ended with the dam less than half completed when his highly leveraged public utility holding company collapsed during the Great Depression. In 1934, the Texas legislature authorized the formation of the Lower Colorado River Authority to complete the Hamilton dam. Following completion in 1937, the dam was renamed for U.S. Representative James P. Buchanan, who was involved obtaining federal funding the project from the Public Works Administration.
Construction of the dam required the relocation of the town of Bluffton, Texas. Relocation began in 1931 and was complete by 1939. A 2011 drought re-exposed the old Bluffton townsite.
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