Malheur Reservoir
Template:Geobox Malheur Reservoir is an irrigation lake along Willow Creek in Malheur County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Built by the Orchard Irrigation District in the 1930s, the 1,282-acre (5.19 km2) lake can hold about 49,000 acre-feet (60,000,000 m3) of water, which is used to irrigate about 2,300 acres (930 ha) of farmland downstream. Draining a semi-arid rangeland basin of 254 square miles (660 km2), the reservoir receives very high concentrations of nutrients and is naturally eutrophic.[1]
About 80 percent of the 12.3-mile (19.8 km) shoreline is privately owned,[1] but the lake and part of the shore is open to public use.[2] Since the mid-1960s, the reservoir has been stocked with rainbow trout,[1] although fishing conditions have varied with weather cycles, and the reservoir has at times gone dry during drought.[2] During wet cycles, it is capable of producing trout in excess of 20 inches (51 cm) long.[2]
The lake is accessible by dirt road, starting either from an intersection with U.S. Route 26, about 15 miles (24 km) to the southwest, near Ironside, or from a different intersection with Route 26, about 15 miles (24 km) to the southeast near Brogan.[2] The lake has a boat ramp on the north shore, and camping is possible in a few places near the ramp.[2] The Malheur County Parks Department maintains the boat ramp as well as gravel parking and a restroom.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Johnson, Daniel M.; et al. (1985). Atlas of Oregon Lakes. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. pp. 136–37. ISBN 0-87071-343-4.
- ^ a b c d e Sheehan, Madelynne Diness (2005). Fishing in Oregon: The Complete Oregon Fishing Guide (10th ed.). Scappoose, Oregon: Flying Pencil Publications. p. 279. ISBN 0-916473-15-5.
- ^ "Parks Department". Malheur County, Oregon. Retrieved March 7, 2011.