Coralville Lake
Encyclopedia
Coralville Lake is a reservoir
formed by Coralville Dam, a dam on the Iowa River
just upstream from the city of Coralville, Iowa
. Construction started in 1949, was delayed by the Korean War
, and finally finished in 1958. The dam was built as a flood control project by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
, and the lake has a capacity of 461200 acre.ft.
The lake and surrounding lakeshore have been extensively developed for recreational use.
Water first flowed over the 712 feet (217 m) emergency spillway on July 5, 1993 (see Great Flood of 1993
), reaching a then-record crest. The record was surpassed by the June 2008 Midwest floods
.
Water again flowed over the 712 feet (217 m) emergency spillway on June 12, 2008, and the reservoir crested at 717 feet (218.5 m) early in the morning on June 15, 2008. These floods helped to uncover what is now the Devonian Fossil Gorge.
Lake Macbride is formed by another dam just up from the Coralville reservoir. This dam was overtopped by floodwaters in the flood of 2008, and the lake effectively became part of Coralville Lake.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
formed by Coralville Dam, a dam on the Iowa River
Iowa River
The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about long and is open to small river craft to Iowa City, about from its mouth...
just upstream from the city of Coralville, Iowa
Coralville, Iowa
Coralville is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is a suburb of Iowa City and part of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Construction started in 1949, was delayed by the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, and finally finished in 1958. The dam was built as a flood control project by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
, and the lake has a capacity of 461200 acre.ft.
The lake and surrounding lakeshore have been extensively developed for recreational use.
Water first flowed over the 712 feet (217 m) emergency spillway on July 5, 1993 (see Great Flood of 1993
Great Flood of 1993
The Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993 occurred in the American Midwest, along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from April to October 1993. The flood was among the most costly and devastating to ever occur in the United States, with $15 billion in damages...
), reaching a then-record crest. The record was surpassed by the June 2008 Midwest floods
June 2008 Midwest floods
The June 2008 Midwestern United States floods were flooding events which affected portions of the Midwest United States. After months of heavy precipitation, a number of rivers overflowed their banks for several weeks at a time and broke through levees at numerous locations. Flooding continued...
.
Water again flowed over the 712 feet (217 m) emergency spillway on June 12, 2008, and the reservoir crested at 717 feet (218.5 m) early in the morning on June 15, 2008. These floods helped to uncover what is now the Devonian Fossil Gorge.
Lake Macbride is formed by another dam just up from the Coralville reservoir. This dam was overtopped by floodwaters in the flood of 2008, and the lake effectively became part of Coralville Lake.