Fort Peck Lake

Fort Peck Lake, or Lake Fort Peck, is a major reservoir in Montana, formed by the Fort Peck Dam on the Missouri River. The lake lies in the eastern prairie region of Montana approximately 140 miles (230 km) east of Great Falls and 120 miles (190 km) north of Billings, reaching into portions of six counties.[1]

Fort Peck Lake
The lake seen from the Lewis and Clark Overlook east of the dam
Location of Fort Peck Lake in Montana, USA.
Location of Fort Peck Lake in Montana, USA.
Fort Peck Lake
Location of Fort Peck Lake in Montana, USA.
Location of Fort Peck Lake in Montana, USA.
Fort Peck Lake
Location Montana,
 United States
Coordinates47°46′41″N 106°40′53″W[1]
Lake typeReservoir
Primary inflowsMissouri River, Musselshell River, Fourchette Creek, Dry Creek
Primary outflowsMissouri River
Catchment area57,500 sq mi (149,000 km2)[2]
Max. length134 mi (216 km)[2]
Surface area245,000 acres (99,000 ha)
Average depth76.3 ft (23.3 m)
Max. depth220 ft (67 m)[2]
Water volume18,687,731 acre⋅ft (23.050977 km3)[2]
Surface elevation2,250 feet (690 m)[2]
FrozenWinter
IslandsYork Island, others unnamed
SettlementsFort Peck

The dam and reservoir were built in the 1930s to enhance navigation on the Missouri River, supplying enough water downstream of the dam to provide for a 9-foot deep (2.7 m), 300-foot wide (91 m) navigation channel from Sioux City, Iowa, to the mouth of the Missouri just above St. Louis.[3]

History

Following severe flooding along the Missouri River in 1943, which hampered the economic development of the Missouri River Valley and damaged production of military supplies for then-ongoing World War II, five additional dams were added when the federal government adopted the Pick-Sloan Plan, calling for a series of dams and reservoirs to be built along the Missouri and its tributaries.[4] Fort Peck Dam was built from 1933 to 1940 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; water impoundment began in 1937 and the reservoir was first filled to capacity in 1947.[5] The federal government forced out ranchers and farmers who lived in the valley bottom to prepare room for the lake.[6]

Description

With a volume of 18,700,000 acre-feet (23.1 km3) when full, Fort Peck is the fifth largest artificial lake in the United States. It extends 134 miles (216 km) through central Montana, and its twisting, inlet-studded shoreline has a total length of some 1,520 miles (2,450 km).[7] Along with the Missouri River, smaller tributaries such as the Musselshell River, Fourchette Creek, Timber Creek, Hell Creek and Dry Creek feed the reservoir; the latter forms the longest side arm of the reservoir, which reaches some 30 miles (48 km) southwards. The lake covers an area of 245,000 acres (99,000 ha), making it the largest in Montana by surface area, although Flathead Lake has a larger volume due to its greater depth.[8][9]

The reservoir is also a tourist attraction, with 27 designated recreational sites bordering its shores.[10] Bordering nearly the entire reservoir is the 1,719-square-mile (4,450 km2) Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, which has preserved much of the high prairie and hill country around the lake.[11]

The lake is featured in the film Jurassic Park III, as part of an excavation.

Fishing

Fishing is popular at the reservoir and a large variety of fish have been introduced into the lake.[12]

Species
Species Family Class Native to MT
Bigmouth Buffalo Sucker Warmwater Native
Black Bullhead Catfish Warmwater Introduced
Black Crappie Sunfish Warmwater Introduced
Blue Sucker Sucker Warmwater Native
Bluegill Sunfish Warmwater Introduced
Brassy Minnow Minnow Warmwater Native
Brook Stickleback Stickleback Warmwater Native
Brown Trout Trout Coldwater Introduced
Burbot Codfish Coldwater Native
Channel Catfish Catfish Warmwater Native
Chinook Salmon Trout Introduced
Cisco Trout Warmwater Introduced
Common Carp Minnow Warmwater Introduced
Creek Chub Minnow Warmwater Native
Emerald Shiner Minnow Warmwater Native
Fathead Minnow Minnow Warmwater Native
Flathead Chub Minnow Warmwater Native
Freshwater Drum Drum Warmwater Native
Goldeye Mooneye Warmwater Native
Green Sunfish Sunfish Warmwater Introduced
Iowa Darter Perch Warmwater Native
Lake Chub Minnow Warmwater Native
Lake Trout Trout Coldwater Native
Lake Whitefish Trout Coldwater Introduced
Largemouth Bass Sunfish Warmwater Introduced
Longnose Dace Minnow Warmwater Native
Longnose Sucker Sucker Warmwater Native
Northern Pike Pike Warmwater Introduced
Northern Redbelly Dace Minnow Warmwater Native
Paddlefish Paddlefish Warmwater Native
Pallid Sturgeon Sturgeon Warmwater Native
Plains Killifish Killifish Introduced
Plains Minnow Minnow Warmwater Native
Rainbow Trout Trout Coldwater Introduced
River Carpsucker Sucker Warmwater Native
Sand Shiner Minnow Warmwater Native
Sauger Perch Warmwater Native
Shorthead Redhorse Sucker Warmwater Native
Shovelnose Sturgeon Sturgeon Warmwater Native
Smallmouth Bass Sunfish Warmwater Introduced
Smallmouth Buffalo Sucker Warmwater Native
Spottail Shiner Minnow Warmwater Introduced
Stonecat Catfish Native
Walleye Perch Warmwater Introduced
White Crappie Sunfish Warmwater Introduced
White Sucker Sucker Warmwater Native
Yellow Perch Perch Warmwater Introduced

See also

References
  1. "Fort Peck Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. April 4, 1980. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  2. "Fort Peck Dam and Reservoir Fact Sheet" (PDF). Omaha District. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  3. Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Interior and Insular (1960). Upper Missouri Basin Water Rights: Memorandum of the Chairman. May 1960. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 3.
  4. "Pick Sloan Missouri Basin Program". U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. August 3, 2010. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  5. "Missouri River: The Pick-Sloan Plan" (PDF). Missouri National Recreational River. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  6. Hegyi, Nate (October 23, 2019). "The Next Yellowstone: A Hunter's Paradise". KUNC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  7. "Welcome to the Fort Peck Dam/Lake Fort Peck Homepage". Omaha District. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on February 20, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  8. "Montana". Archeology Program. U.S. National Park Service. October 28, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  9. "About Flathead Lake". Flathead Lake Biological Station. University of Montana. June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  10. "Fort Peck Lake Recreational Opportunities". Omaha District. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on November 28, 2005. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  11. "Welcome to Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge". Mountain-Prairie Region. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. July 6, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  12. "FISHMT :: Waterbody Details". myfwp.mt.gov. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
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