PotHoles Reservoir
Encyclopedia
The Potholes Reservoir is part of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project
. It is formed by the O'Sullivan Dam
and located in central Washington, in the United States
. The reservoir is fed by water from Moses Lake
, part of the Crab Creek
basin.
The area features several lakes (typically 30-70 yards wide and 10–30 feet deep). These lakes, known as "potholes" were created through both natural and man made processes. The potholes were initially carved out during the Pleistocene by flood waters originating from Glacial Lake Missoula
. Subsequent damming of the area by the Columbia Basin Project
raised the water table high enough to allow these topographical depressions to become lakes.
Also known as:
. It has 6000 feet (1,828.8 m) of shoreline on the reservoir.
Columbia Basin Project
The Columbia Basin Project in Central Washington, USA, is the irrigation network that the Grand Coulee Dam makes possible. It is the largest water reclamation project in the United States, supplying irrigation water to over of the large project area, all of which was originally intended to be...
. It is formed by the O'Sullivan Dam
O'Sullivan Dam
O'Sullivan Dam, one of the larger earthfill dams in the United States , is on Crab Creek in the U.S. state of Washington, about 45 km south of Ephrata and 25 km south of Moses Lake...
and located in central Washington, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The reservoir is fed by water from Moses Lake
Moses Lake
Moses Lake is a lake and reservoir along the course of Crab Creek, in Washington state, USA.Moses Lake is part of the Columbia River basin, as Crab Creek is a tributary of the Columbia River....
, part of the Crab Creek
Crab Creek
Crab Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington. Named for the presence of crayfish, it is one of the few perennial streams in the Columbia Basin of central Washington, flowing from the northeastern Columbia River Plateau, roughly east of Reardan, west-southwest to empty into the Columbia...
basin.
The area features several lakes (typically 30-70 yards wide and 10–30 feet deep). These lakes, known as "potholes" were created through both natural and man made processes. The potholes were initially carved out during the Pleistocene by flood waters originating from Glacial Lake Missoula
Glacial Lake Missoula
Glacial Lake Missoula was a prehistoric proglacial lake in western Montana that existed periodically at the end of the last ice age between 15,000 and 13,000 years ago...
. Subsequent damming of the area by the Columbia Basin Project
Columbia Basin Project
The Columbia Basin Project in Central Washington, USA, is the irrigation network that the Grand Coulee Dam makes possible. It is the largest water reclamation project in the United States, supplying irrigation water to over of the large project area, all of which was originally intended to be...
raised the water table high enough to allow these topographical depressions to become lakes.
Also known as:
- Moses Lake
- O'Sullivan Reservoir
- The Potholes Reservoir
- Mardon
Recreation
On the shore of the reservoir is Potholes State Park, a 640 acres (2.6 km²) member of the Washington State Park SystemWashington State Park System
The Washington State Park System is a set of state parks owned by the state government of Washington, USA. They are managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. As of 2011, the parks are primarily funded through the state's general fund, augmented by usage fees...
. It has 6000 feet (1,828.8 m) of shoreline on the reservoir.