Campbell Lake (Anchorage, Alaska)

For Little Campbell Lake in Anchorage, Alaska, see Kincaid Park.

Campbell Lake
Two ice skaters on Campbell Lake in winter
LocationAnchorage, Alaska
Coordinates61.1324772°N 149.9413973°W / 61.1324772; -149.9413973
Lake typeReservoir
Primary inflowsCampbell Creek
Primary outflowsTurnagain Arm
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length1.3 mi (2.1 km)
Surface elevation10 ft (3.0 m)
SettlementsAnchorage, Alaska
ReferencesUSGS Geographic Names Information System

Campbell Lake is a lake in Anchorage, Alaska.

History

Campbell Lake was formed in the late 1950s when Anchorage resident David Alm constructed an earthen dam to block the outflow of Campbell Creek, creating an artificial lake over intertidal wetlands.[1] It is home to several notable Anchorage residents including former newspaper publisher Alice Rogoff, who hosted sitting US President Barack Obama at her lakeside residence in 2015 during his only visit to Alaska.[2]

The Campbell Lake dam failed during the 1964 Anchorage earthquake and again in 1989 when heavy rains caused a nearly 20-fold increase in water flow into the lake.[3][4] During the 2018 Anchorage earthquake, a sewer pipe became dislodged under the lakebed, requiring drainage of the lake in May 2019 for repairs.[5]

Hydrology and ecology

Campbell Lake receives inflow from a portion of the Chugach Mountains via the Campbell Creek watershed. Its outflow is a shallow estuary into Turnagain Arm. Lake water temperatures exhibit a thermocline in summer and a reverse thermocline in winter, with surface temperatures varying between approximately 0 °C (32 °F) in December to 18 °C (64 °F) in July.

Several fish species can be found in the lake including coho salmon, chinook salmon, and blackfish. The lake has been stocked with coho salmon by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to support upstream sport fishing, but fishing is not permitted in the lake.

Ownership and access

In September 2019, Campbell Lake was the subject of an investigative report arguing that the lake, which was long held to be private, was public under Alaska statutory law.[1][6][7] In December 2019, the City of Anchorage and State of Alaska released a joint statement clarifying that the lake is open to the public for "boating and all forms of permissible recreation."[8]

Campbell Lake can be legally accessed by the public in one of three ways:[8]

  1. By water, using Campbell Creek
  2. By air, using a floatplane or other aircraft
  3. By land, using one of two public easements, both of which can be used "without permission" of private property owners.[8] These easements were surveyed and marked in January 2020.[9]
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See also

References
  1. "The Bizarre Story of Campbell Lake, the Private Lake that Isn't". Alaska Landmine. Alaska Landmine. September 20, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  2. "Obama Cites Alaska in Address Urging Action on Climate Change". Anchorage Daily News. Anchorage Daily News. September 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  3. "Effects of the March 1964 Alaska earthquake on the hydrology of the Anchorage area, Alaska: Chapter B in The Alaska earthquake, March 27, 1964: effects hydrologic regimen" (PDF). USGS Publications Warehouse. United Stated Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  4. "USGS Campbell Creek" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1966–2013. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  5. "Crews Close to Fixing Sewer Pipe at Drained Campbell Lake". KTVA Channel 11 News. KTVA. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  6. "For decades, homeowners claimed this Anchorage lake was private. A new report reveals it's not". Alaska Public Radio. Alaska Public Media. September 24, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  7. Holmes, Loren. "Anchorage's Campbell Lake, long closed to the public, begins to open up". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  8. "JOINT STATEMENT CAMPBELL LAKE WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE OWNERSHIP, USE AND ACCESS" (PDF). Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  9. "Campbell Lake Public Access Easements have been Surveyed and Marked". Alaska Landmine. Alaska Landmine. January 17, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
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