To submit questions, email the webmaster.

Q: Where can I use my Annual Pass?

A: Annual Passes are good at any Corps of Engineers operated day use area. Day use areas on Benbrook Lake include North Holiday, Mustang, and Rocky Creek Parks. Day Use is also allowed in Longhorn and Westcreek Circle, however access to these areas is free at this time. Annual Passes do not allow for the use of South Holiday or Bear Creek Parks, or the campgrounds in Mustang and Rocky Creek Parks, UNLESS you are launching a boat or walking/cycling through the campground without stopping to use the campsites. Picnicking, swimming, bank-fishing, sight-seeing, and other typical day use activities is not allowed in campgrounds unless you are a registered camper. Hiking, birding, and equestrian use of the trail system remains free, as long as vehicles are parked outside the fee area.

Q: Why doesn't my America the Beautiful Interagency Pass or Golden Age/Access Passport get me in for free at Benbrook Lake?

A: Some Federal Agencies charge entrance fees. The America the Beautiful Passes and Golden Eagle Passports waive entrance fees for some of these areas. However, the US Army Corps of Engineers does not charge entrance fees, they charge "expanded amenity fees", or use fees. As such, these passes allow for half-off any fees charged, but will not waive the fees entirely. For free access to day use areas, you may be interested in the Annual Day Use Pass. For more information on the America the Beautiful program, such as what fees are discounted in other federal parks, please click here.

Q: I lost my Annual Pass. Can I get a replacement?

A: US Army Corps of Engineers policy does not allow for replacement of lost passes. Name and pass number information is collected for internal tracking purposes only. If a lost pass is returned to the lake office, we can cross-reference information and attempt to return the pass to it's rightful owner, but we cannot give a full replacement.

Q: What are the fees at Mustang and Rocky Creek Parks?

A: Mustang and Rocky Creek Parks are mixed-use parks, meaning they have designated campgrounds AND day use areas. As a general rule, if you wish to use the campground, you must be a registered camper, which will cost $10, regardless if you actually spend the night or not. Otherwise, to visit the day use areas, you will be charged $3.00 per car. Please talk to the gate attendant and let them know what you plan to do in the park so you may be charged appropriately. Exceptions: We will allow boat launching at any ramp on the lake as long as the launching fee ($3.00) is paid and parking space is available. Also, cyclists and walkers may pass through campgrounds for a day use fee of $1.00 as long as they do not stop to use campsites.

Q: Why can't I bank-fish the campground?

A: With very few exceptions, day use activities are not allowed in campgrounds unless you are a registered camper. If you would like to bank-fish in a campground, you will need to rent a campsite.

Q: What is all the construction around the dam?

A: Current construction near the dam is a pipeline project by the Tarrant Regional Water District [TRWD]. According to the TRWD website - "The pipeline, which is scheduled for an early 2008 completion, is being built to meet the future water supply needs in rapidly growing northwest Tarrant County. The additional water will be pumped into Eagle Mountain Lake from TRWD’s two East Texas reservoirs, Cedar Creek and Richland-Chambers." The project allows maximum flexibility for the system of reservoirs and pumping stations that serve Fort Worth and other TRWD customers. This pipeline should not have any new or additonal effect on the recent low summer water levels in Benbrook Lake.

Q: Why does Benbrook get so low every year?

A: It has not always gotten so low. The water in Benbrook Lake was originally intended to supply navigation use in the Trinity River, but demands never developed. In 1992 the water was re-allocated for municipal water supply, and the water rights sold to the Tarrant Regional Water District [TRWD]. A large pipeline now connects the lake with the Rolling Hills Water Plant on Interstate 20, and so with the Cedar Creek and Richland-Chambers water supply reservoirs. TRWD pumps water from these reservoirs into Benbrook during the winter months, allowing it to utilyze lower winter electrical rates for pumping. In the summer months, when both water and electrical demands and rates are the highest, water is released from Benbrook Dam to flow downriver to water plants in downtown Fort Worth, without having to be pumped. This provides all of us savings on our water bills and ensures water availability in the summer at our homes, but it has been at the cost of recreation opportunities at the lake.