Potholes Reservoir

Reservoir in Washington, United States

46°58′57″N 119°17′28″W / 46.98250°N 119.29111°W / 46.98250; -119.29111^[1]Lake typeReservoirBasin countriesUnited StatesAverage depth18 feet (5.5 m)^[2]Max. depth142 feet (43 m)^[2]Surface elevation1,043 feet (318 m)^[1]References^[1]

The Potholes Reservoir is part of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. It is formed by the O'Sullivan Dam and located in central Washington, in the United States. The reservoir is fed by water from Moses Lake, part of the Crab Creek basin.

The area features several lakes (typically 30-70 yards wide and 10–30 feet deep). These lakes, known as "potholes" were created through both natural and man made processes. The potholes were initially carved out during the Pleistocene by flood waters originating from Glacial Lake Missoula.^[3] Subsequent damming of the area by the Columbia Basin Project raised the water table high enough to allow these topographical depressions to become lakes.

Recreation

On the shore of the reservoir is Potholes State Park, a 640-acre (2.6 km²) member of the Washington State Park System. It has 6,000 feet (1,800 m) of shoreline on the reservoir.^[4]

Fishing

There are many types of fish inside of the reservoir, including:

Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Walleye
Black crappie
Yellow perch
Bluegill
Lake whitefish
Carp
Steelhead

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Potholes Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
^ ^a ^b "Potholes Reservoir Research Management Plan" (PDF).
^ Alt, David; Hundman, Donald W. (1995). Northwest Exposures: A Geologic History of the Northwest. Missoula, Mont.: Mountain Press. ISBN 0-87842-323-0. OL 800810M.
^ "Potholes State Park". Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.