Lookout Point Lake

Lookout Point Lake (also Lookout Point Reservoir)[3] is a large reservoir on the Middle Fork Willamette River in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It was created in 1953 with the construction of Lookout Point Dam.[1]

Lookout Point Lake
Lookout Point Reservoir
LocationLane County, Oregon
Coordinates43°53′48″N 122°43′34″W
TypeReservoir, mesotrophic
Primary inflowsMiddle Fork Willamette River
Primary outflowsMiddle Fork Willamette River
Catchment area991 square miles (2,570 km2)[1]
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area4,360 acres (17.6 km2)[1]
Average depth104 feet (32 m)
Max. depth234 feet (71 m)
Water volume477,700 acre feet (0.589 km3)[1]
Residence time1.9 months
Shore length135 miles (56 km)
Surface elevation932 feet (284 m)
SettlementsLowell, Oakridge
References[1][2][3][4]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The downstream end of the reservoir is about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Eugene. It lies immediately upriver from Dexter Lake, another reservoir. The city of Lowell is nearby, along the north shore of Dexter Lake. Oregon Route 58 follows the lake's southern shore and Boundary Road the northern shore. The lake, about 10 miles (16 km) long, continues upriver to within about 7 miles (11 km) of Oakridge.[5]

Lookout Point Dam, 276 feet (84 m) high, impounds up to 477,700 acre feet (589,200,000 m3) of water.[1] It helps control flooding, generates electricity, and provides a place for boating and other outdoor recreation.[4]

History

The two reservoirs, Lookout Point and Dexter, were created in the early 1950s, when the United States Army Corps of Engineers finished building the dams that contain them. Dexter exists partly as a re-regulating basin that controls water surges from Lookout Point Lake. The pair of dams work together to prevent downstream flooding.[2]

Both dams are equipped with powerhouses that generate electricity. Lookout Point Dam has three generating units that can produce a combined 120,000 kilowatts of power. Water levels in the dam are usually high from May through August. To supply demands for water downriver, a gradual drawdown of lake water begins in July and extends through September. After September, the lake is emptied more rapidly to make room for high river flows that enter the lake during the winter. The Lookout Point and Dexter projects are among 13 built by the Corps in the Willamette Valley.[2]

Recreation

Recreation on or near the lake includes boating and fishing, camping and picnicking. Large populations of rough fish such as northern pikeminnows and suckers limit the catch of fish such as rainbow trout considered desirable by sports fishers. Strong winds, big waves, and annual fluctuations in the lake level also make fishing more difficult.[6]

Several picnicking and boat launches run by the county, the state, or the Willamette National Forest are located around the lake.[2] Some of the ramps become disconnected from the lake when the water is low, but the ramps near Lowell and the dam remain operational all year.[6] Camping spots are available at Black Canyon Campground, managed by the United States Forest Service, near the southeast end of the lake.[7]

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See also
  • List of lakes in Oregon

References
  1. "Lookout Point Dam". Stanford University. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012.
  2. Johnson, Daniel M.; Petersen, Richard R.; Lycan, D. Richard; Sweet, James W.; Neuhaus, Mark E., and Schaedel, Andrew L. (1985). Atlas of Oregon Lakes. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. p. 223. ISBN 0-87071-343-4.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "Lookout Point Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  4. "Atlas of Oregon Lakes: Lookout Point Lake (Lane County)". Portland State University. 1985–2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  5. Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2008. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-89933-347-2.
  6. Sheehan, Madelynne Diness. Fishing in Oregon: The Complete Oregon Fishing Guide. Scappoose, Oregon: Flying Pencil Publications. pp. 148–49. ISBN 0-916473-15-5.
  7. "Black Canyon Campground, OR". National Recreation Reservation Service. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
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