Lake Cypress Springs

Lake Cypress Springs is a 3,450 acre lake, adjacent to Lake Bob Sandlin (9,450 acres) and Lake Monticello (2,000 acres).

Lake Cypress Springs is located about seven miles south of Mt. Vernon in the rolling hills and "Piney Woods" area of Northeast Texas. Mt. Vernon is situated at the 146 exit on I-30, about 100 miles east of Dallas and 80 miles west of Texarkana. Most people find that they can be at the lake within about 90 minutes from the Loop 635/Town East Mall area in Dallas.

Lake Cypress Springs is situated in the southeastern portion of Franklin County, the fourth smallest county in Texas. With a population of about 8,700, Franklin County has an economy based primarily on agriculture and petroleum production. Recently, the economy of the area has received a significant boost from the manufacturing and distribution facilities near Mt. Vernon.

Lake Cypress Springs covers about 3,500 acres with a shoreline surrounded in pines and hardwood trees. The lake is spring-fed, clear of pollution, and cleared of timber and brush to promote watersports and recreation. There are portions of the lake that are zoned for fishing only, and fishermen are attracted to the abundant bass, crappie, and catfish. Annual rainfall in the area is about 45 inches per year, with temperature extremes about the same as those in Dallas.

Owned and operated by the Franklin County Water District (FCWD), Lake Cypress Springs is NOT a Corps of Engineers lake as are those surrounding the Metroplex. Instead of wide-ranging variations in water level commonly associated with Corps lakes, Cypress Springs enjoys a relatively constant water level, generally fluctuating about two feet.

Property Ownership on Cypress Springs is leasehold estate, a 99 year lease that began from the date that the individual subdivision was established. The leases are renewable, and most expire around the year 2071. By maintaining fee simple ownership of the lake waterfront, the water district is assured a regulatory authority over the lake. The water district directors have used this authority to establish a set of minimum standards that have ensured the character and quality of the individually-owned waterfront properties around the lake. As a result of these strictly-enforced regulations, property owners at Lake Cypress Springs have seen the value of their investments consistently increase over the past several years.

Waterfront lots are restricted to a minimum of 1/2 acre of area, and each must have at least 100 feet of lake frontage. Waterfront homes must be at least 1,000 square feet in size, and homes or any other improvement such as boathouses or retainer walls require a building permit from the FCWD. Homes can be built to within 10 feet of the water's edge, unless a greater setback distance is required by the restrictions of the individual development. Improvements built over the water, such as piers and boathouses, are assessed a yearly lease fee by the FCWD of $0.20/sf. Water for irrigation can be pumped from the lake for an annual fee of $100. Drinking water in the lake area is provided by the Cypress Springs Water Supply Corporation, and is a combination of treated lake water and deep well water. Waterfront lots surrounding the lake have a leasehold estate type of ownership, similar to much of the property ownership in Hawaii. The lease arrangement with the Franklin County Water District gives property owners full rights, but allows the water district to create protective restrictions and to police those rules and ensure compliance.

There are about 20 residential subdivisions around Lake Cypress Springs, six of which have security gates. However, there are some excellent properties in other developments, and security is not an issue in the fourth smallest county in Texas. There are approximately 800 waterfront homes on Lake Cypress Springs. Homes on the lake range in value from about $60,000 to over $750,000, with an average at $150,000 to $200,000. Waterfront lots currently range in price from about $15,000 for a lot in a dredged cove to $100,000 + for a prime, main-lake location. Most of the residential developments have property owners associations (POA's) which collect monthly dues ranging from $7.50 to $15.00 to maintain roads, common areas, and security.