Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu is a large reservoir formed by Parker Dam on the Colorado River, on the border between San Bernardino County, California and La Paz County, Arizona. Lake Havasu City sits on the Arizona (eastern) side of the lake with its Californian counterpart of Havasu Lake directly across the lake. The reservoir has an available capacity of 619,400 acre feet (764,000,000 m3). The concrete arch dam was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation between 1934 and 1938. The lake's primary purpose is to store water for pumping into two aqueducts. Prior to the dam construction, the area was home to the Mohave Indians. The lake was named (in 1939) after the Mojave word for blue.[1] In the early 19th century, it was frequented by beaver trappers. Spaniards also began to mine the areas along the river.

This article is about the lake on the Colorado River. For the city in Arizona, see Lake Havasu City, Arizona. For other uses, see Havasu (disambiguation).
Lake Havasu
Lake from Parker Dam
LocationArizona, California
Coordinates34°29′N 114°23′W
TypeReservoir
Primary inflowsColorado River
Primary outflowsColorado River
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length26.3 miles (42.3 km)
Max. width2.85 miles (4.6 km)
Surface area19,300 acres (7,800 ha)
Average depth35 ft (11 m)
Max. depth90 ft (27 m)
Surface elevation448 ft (137 m)
Islands1
SettlementsLake Havasu City, Arizona

Aqueducts

Mark Wilmer Pumping Plant pumps water into the Central Arizona Project Aqueduct. Whitsett Pumping Plant is located on the lake, and lifts the water 291 feet (89 m) for the Colorado River Aqueduct. Gene Pumping Plant is just south of Parker Dam, and gives the water an additional boost of 303 feet (92 m). The Colorado River Aqueduct has three more pumping plants: Iron Mountain (144 feet (44 m)), Eagle Mountain (438 feet (134 m)), and Julian Hinds (441 feet (134 m)). The total lift is 1,617 feet (493 m).

Natural history
Lake Havasu with Lake Havasu City, Arizona on the east shore (right) and Havasu Lake, California on the western shore (left).

The shorelines are in the ecotone (transition zone) of the higher Mojave Desert to the lower Sonoran Desert and its Californian Colorado Desert ecoregions.

The Havasu National Wildlife Refuge is located at the upper end and upriver. Lake Havasu State Park is along the eastern shore in Arizona. The Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge extends southeastward up the riparian zone of the Bill Williams River canyon from the southeastern end of the reservoir and dam.

Fish

Lake Havasu is well known for its recreational fishing and boating, which bring in around 750,000 visitors a year.[2] Fishing tournaments are often held on the lake, where bass are the main catch.

Fish list : Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass, Striped bass, Carp, Catfish (Channel), Catfish (Flathead), Crappie, Razorback sucker, Redear Sunfish, Sunfish (Cetrarchidae).

White sturgeon were stocked in Lake Havasu in 1967 and 1968 from stock obtained from San Pablo Bay, California. While some dead sturgeon were found downstream from Havasu (probably killed during passage over dams), living fish have not been recorded, but may still exist along the southern end of Lake Havasu near Parker Dam.[3] Sturgeon have been known to grow upwards of 20 feet (6 meters) and can live in excess of 100 years and many in and around Lake Havasu continue in their efforts to catch a glimpse of the majestic animal.

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has developed a safe eating advisory for Lake Havasu based on levels of mercury found in fish caught from this water body.[4]

For the Havasu city, see Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

Robert Paxton McCulloch was an American entrepreneur most notable for purchasing the old London Bridge and moving it to one of the cities he founded in Arizona. Lake Havasu sparked the imagination of McCulloch, who purchased 3,500 acres (1,400 ha) of lakeside property along Pittsburgh Point, the peninsula that eventually would be transformed into "the island".

For the Havasu's London bridge, see London Bridge (Lake Havasu City).
  • Early-morning fishing on Lake Havasu
  • London Bridge at Lake Havasu.
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References
  1. Gudde, Erwin G. (1959). 1000 California Place Names (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: University of California Press. p. 33. ISBN 0-520-01432-4.
  2. according to the Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau
  3. "Acipenser transmontanus". Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  4. Pham, Huyen Tran (2017-01-24). "Lake Havasu". OEHHA. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
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