Lake Havasu
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| Lake Havasu | |
|---|---|
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| Location | California/Arizona |
| Coordinates | |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Colorado River |
| Primary outflows | Colorado River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Settlements | Lake Havasu City |
Lake Havasu is a large reservoir behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River, on the border between California and Arizona. Lake Havasu City sits on the its eastern shore. The lake has a capacity of 648,000 acre feet (799,000,000 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.
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[edit] Etymology
Lake Havasu, is named for the Mohave word "Havasu", which means "blue water".
[edit] 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 for the Colorado River Aqueduct. Gene Pumping Plant is just south of Parker Dam and gives the water an additional boost of 303 feet. 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).
[edit] Lake Havasu City
Robert Paxton McCulloch (May 11, 1911 – February 25, 1977) was an American entrepreneur most notable for McCulloch Chainsaws and purchasing the old London Bridge and moving it to one of the cities he founded, Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Lake Havasu sparked the imagination of McCulloch, who purchased 3,500 acres (14 km²) of lakeside property along Pittsburgh Point, the peninsula that eventually would be transformed into "the island".
[edit] Features
Lake Havasu is well known for its recreational fishing and boating, which bring in 3.5 million visitors a year. Fishing tournaments are often held on the lake, where bass and stripers are the main catch. In addition, 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 be found along the southern end of Lake Havasu near Parker Dam.[1] Sturgeon have been known to grow upwards of 20 feet 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.
[edit] External links
- United States Bureau of Reclamation
- Metropolitan Water Department of Southern CaliforniaPDF (212 KiB)
- Arizona lakes water level report
[edit] References
- ^ Acipenser transmontanus. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
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