Sardis Lake (Mississippi)

For the lake of the same name in Oklahoma, see Sardis Lake (Oklahoma).

Sardis Lake
Sardis Lake from Sardis Dam
Location	Lafayette / Panola / Marshall counties, Mississippi, US
Coordinates	34°24′32″N 89°47′45″W
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Little Tallahatchie River
Primary outflows	Little Tallahatchie River
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	98,520 acres (398.7 km2)
Water volume	1,512,000 acre-feet (1.865×109 m3)

Aerial view of Sardis Lake

Sardis Lake is a 98,520-acre (398.7 km²) reservoir on the Little Tallahatchie River in Lafayette, Panola, and Marshall counties, Mississippi. Sardis Lake is impounded by Sardis Dam, located nine miles (14 km) southeast of the town of Sardis and is approximately an hour drive from Memphis, Tennessee. The dam is 15,300 feet (4,700 m) long, has an average height of 97 feet (30 m), and a maximum height of 117 feet (36 m).

History

Sardis Dam was the first of the Yazoo River headwaters projects to be built. Authorization for the project came when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Flood Control Act of 1936. Construction took four years and required thousands of men to clear fourteen miles (23 km) along the Little Tallahatchie River, which was characterized by dense woods and undergrowth, and meandering sloughs.

The dam was constructed using a "hydraulic fill" technique that required soil to be dredged from below the dam site and pumped to form the earth fill, which forms the majority of the dam. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built and operated the "Pontotoc", a special dredge powered by two 3,000 hp (2,200 kW) electric motors to accomplish this task. The 425-acre (1.72 km²) "Lower Lake" on the downstream side of Sardis Dam was created by the dredging operation and now has numerous recreation facilities, including John W. Kyle State Park. Mississippi Highway 315 splits while crossing the dam, with one route crossing the top and the other half crossing the base.

Sardis Lake has a maximum storage capacity of 1,512,000 acre-feet (1.865×10⁹ m³) of water. The lake is gradually drawn down during the fall and winter months to a "conservation pool" of 9,800 acres (40 km²). This permits spring rains across the lake's 1,545 square miles (4,000 km²) watershed to fill the reservoir without flooding downstream. Since the dam became operational, the dam's emergency spillway has been overtopped only three times by high water in 1973, 1983 and 1991. The lake's typical "recreation pool" is 32,500 acres (132 km²). The lake is popular with anglers and has a reputation for its abundant bass and crappie. Other recreation activities include hunting, camping, boating, skiing, swimming and picnicking.

Marina

The Sardis Lake Marina services the lake with access to fuel docks, 140 wet slips (both covered and uncovered), a restaurant, and a ship store. They also offer rental boats as well as rental skis, tubes, and knee/wake boards.

Restaurant

Inside the Marina is the Black Jack Bar & Grill. The grill prepares made-to-order entrees, but is quickly becoming known for their Black Jack Burger.