Lake Ouachita

Lake in Ouachita mountains

34°36′N 93°20′W / 34.600°N 93.333°W / 34.600; -93.333TypeHydro-Electric ReservoirPrimary inflowsOuachita RiverPrimary outflowsOuachita RiverBasin countriesUnited StatesSurface area40,000 acres (16,000 ha)Average depthAvg 50 ft (15 m)Max. depth406 ft (124 m)Shore length¹690 mi (1,110 km)FrozenDoes not freezeIslands200SettlementsHot Springs¹ Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Ouachita (Pronounced WAH-shi-tah) is a reservoir created by the damming of the Ouachita River by Blakely Mountain Dam (34°34′21″N 93°11′39″W / 34.57250°N 93.19417°W / 34.57250; -93.19417 (Blakely Mountain Dam)).

Blakely Mountain Dam was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1948 to 1953 for hydroelectric power, recreation, water supply and wildlife conservation.^[1] The dam is 231 feet (70 m) tall, 1,100 feet (340 m) long at the crest, and is capable of 75 megawatts.^[2]

The lake is located near Hot Springs, Arkansas. Lake Ouachita is the largest lake completely in Arkansas, as the larger ^{[citation needed]} Bull Shoals Lake extends into Missouri. Lake Ouachita has over 690 miles (1,110 km) of shoreline and over 66,324^[3] acres (26,840 ha) of water. It is completely surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest. Lake Ouachita is located near two other lakes, Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine. These three lakes, DeGray Lake to the near south, and the thermal springs of Hot Springs National Park make Hot Springs a popular tourist getaway.

Largemouth Bass, Small Mouth Bass, Spotted Bass, Bream, Crappie, Catfish, Walleye and world class Trophy Striped Bass await the angler. Lake Ouachita has rare jellyfish (non-stinging) and sponges found in very few freshwater lakes. Scuba divers from all over the world enjoy the underwater experience as well as the special spear fishing season.

The original purpose of Lake Ouachita was flood control and hydroelectricity. One feature by the Corps of Engineers is the Geo-Float Trail, a marked trail which can be followed with a brochure which details prominent geological features along the route. Lake Ouachita features one of the largest crystal veins in the world.

Vegetation covers 10% of the lake. Lake Ouachita's vegetation is being addressed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and the Lake Ouachita Association to control the hydrilla and Eurasian watermilfoil. The goal of the project is to contain and reduce — not to eradicate — the vegetation, since the presence of aquatic vegetation in moderate amounts is beneficial to the lake's fishery. Treatment will be concentrated on high recreational use areas, such as swimming beaches, around marinas and popular boating areas. Areas of the lake with good fish habitat will not be treated.

References

^ "U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -- Vicksburg District". Archived from the original on 2011-09-13. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
^ "Encyclopedia of Arkansas".
^ "Home". lakeouachita.org.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lake Ouachita.

Corps of Engineers – Lake Ouachita
http://www.lakeouachita.org
https://www.stripers247.com/Arkansas-Stripers.php
http://lakeouachitavistatrail.org

Protected areas in Arkansas

Federal

National Park	Hot Springs
National Historic Sites	Fort Smith Little Rock Central High School President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home
National Forests	Ouachita Ozark–St. Francis
National Memorial	Arkansas Post
National Military Park	Pea Ridge
National River	Buffalo
National Wildlife Refuges	Bald Knob Big Lake Cache River Felsenthal Holla Bend Logan Cave Overflow Pond Creek Wapanocca White River
Wilderness Areas	Big Lake Black Fork Mountain Buffalo National River Caney Creek Dry Creek East Fork Flatside Hurricane Creek Leatherwood Poteau Mountain Richland Creek Upper Buffalo
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	Big Piney Creek Cossatot Hurricane Creek Little Missouri Mulberry North Sylamore Creek Richland Creek

State

State Parks	Arkansas Post Museum Bull Shoals-White River Cane Creek Conway Cemetery Cossatot River Crater of Diamonds Crowley's Ridge Daisy Davidsonville DeGray Lake Delta Heritage Trail Devil's Den Hampson Archeological Museum Herman Davis Historic Washington Hobbs Jacksonport Jenkins' Ferry Battleground Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine Lake Charles Lake Chicot Lake Dardanelle Lake Fort Smith Lake Frierson Lake Ouachita Lake Poinsett Logoly Louisiana Purchase Lower White River Museum Mammoth Spring Marks' Mills Battleground Millwood Mississippi River Moro Bay Mount Magazine Mount Nebo Museum of Natural Resources Ozark Folk Center Parkin Mounds Petit Jean Pinnacle Mountain Plantation Agriculture Museum Plum Bayou Mounds Poison Springs Battleground Powhatan Prairie Grove Battlefield Queen Wilhelmina South Arkansas Arboretum Village Creek White Oak Lake Withrow Springs Woolly Hollow
State Forest	Poison Springs State Forest
Wildlife Management Areas	List