Lost Creek Lake
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Lost Creek Lake is a
reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
located on the Rogue River in Jackson County,
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, United States. The lake is impounded by William L. Jess Dam which was constructed by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...
in 1977 for flood control and fisheries enhancement. The lake and dam were the first completed elements of the multi-purpose Rogue River Basin Project, consisting of Lost Creek Lake,
Applegate Lake Applegate Lake is a reservoir located in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest about southwest of Medford in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is south of Oregon Route 238 along Applegate River Road and slightly north of the Oregon–Cal ...
and the Elk Creek project. The lake is located approximately (straight line) northeast of Medford.


History

Construction of Lost Creek Dam began in 1972 and was completed in 1977. In 1996, the
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
renamed Lost Creek Dam, along with the adjoining intake structure, in honor of William L. Jess, one of the founders of the Rogue Basin Association, which was established in 1955. Jess was a strong advocate for the construction and multiple use of the impounded waters. The primary purpose of the dam is
flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...
and is operated in conjunction with Applegate Dam to regulate water flows down the river as well as to impound water for summer use. The dam is an earthfill structure with a gated spillway and contains two
hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
generating units with a total capacity of 49
megawatts The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named in honor o ...
. The hydroelectric plant has a rated flow capacity of . The technologically advanced and unusual
intake tower An intake tower or outlet tower is a vertical tubular structure with one or more openings used for capturing water from reservoirs and conveying it further to a hydroelectric or water-treatment plant. Unlike spillways, intake towers are intended ...
regulates water temperature by combining lake water from different depths in a mixing chamber before releasing it downstream. This serves to cool the normally warm summer water of the Rogue River, which improves conditions for fish migration and survival. The dam is long, high, with the top of the dam at an elevation of above mean sea level (MSL).The river below the dam is a popular area for easy
rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
and tubing in the summer when the water is relatively warm.
Joseph H. Stewart State Recreation Area Joseph H. Stewart State Recreation Area is a state park located on the Rogue River (Oregon), Rogue River approximately from Crater Lake National Park and northeast of Medford, Oregon, Medford in Jackson County, Oregon, Jackson County, souther ...
is located along the southern shore of the lake. Casey State Park is located on the Rogue River below the dam.


Recreation

Lost Creek Lake is located 37 miles northeast of Medford, OR, off of highway 62. The lake has been a popular recreational site for southern Oregonians since its construction in the 70's. Outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds find amusement in the lake and on its surrounding land. With average rainfall the lake is around 3,430 acres and 280 feet in depth, providing plenty of area for summertime watersports such as boating, skiing, wake boarding, tubing, and jet-skiing. The Lost Creek Lake is a popular year round spot for trout and small mouth bass fishing. A 20-mile trail along the lakeshore can be used by hikers or mountain bikers. This trail runs through the
Joseph H. Stewart State Park Joseph H. Stewart State Recreation Area is a state park located on the Rogue River approximately from Crater Lake National Park and northeast of Medford in Jackson County, southern Oregon. It is administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreat ...
, which is a popular camping destination, offering 150+ sites with electrical hookups for RVs and Campers, as well as 50 tent sites with water. Public bathrooms and showers are also available in the campground, as well as a RV dump station. Two boat landings are located off of the lakes shores, one of which is part of the Joseph H. Stewart State Park. The state park boat landing is located next to the Lost Creek Marina. In addition to boat storage and rentals, the marina features on water fueling, a bait and tackle shop, and a small store and restaurant. Applicable fishing regulations and information can be found at th
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife website


Photo gallery

File:Lazy Summer on Lost Creek Lake.jpg, Storm clouds build near Crater Lake in the distance, and reflect in the waters of Lost Creek Lake, Oregon. File:Rafters on Rogue.jpg, Rafters start their float down the Rogue River from McGregor Park boat ramp. File:North Shore Lost Creek Lake.jpg, North Shore Lost Creek Lake. File:Lost Creek Lake in Fall.jpg, Lost Creek Lake in fall. File:Stewart State Park Marina.jpg, Stewart State Park marina. File:Nature Trail Boardwalk.jpg, McGregor Park nature trails. File:Walkway on Lost Creek Lake.jpg, Walkway on Lost Creek Lake. File:Rogue Nature Center.jpg, Rogue Nature Center at McGregor Park in fall. File:Takelma Day Use Area.jpg, Takelma Day Use Area picnic shelters. File:Rogue River Bend.jpg, The Rogue River bends around McGregor Park. File:Feeding Fish at Hatchery.jpg, Feeding fish at the Cole M. Rivers fish hatchery. File:Rogue River Trail.jpg, Rogue River Trail and lake. File:Intake Tower.jpg, Intake tower at low water. File:RRBP Rogue River Fall flyfishing (23186248791).jpg, Fall fly fishing downstream of Lost Creek Lake File:RRBP Rogue River Fall flyfishing.jpg2 (23160755862).jpg, A fly fisherman downstream of Lost Creek Lake File:Spring at Lost Creek Powerhouse.jpg, Spring at the Lost Creek Lake powerhouse. File:Snow at Lost Creek Powerhouse.jpg, Snow falls at the Lost Creek powerhouse on the Rogue River.


Fish hatchery

Cole Rivers Hatchery is located on the Rogue River, 30 miles northeast of Medford, Oregon, on Highway 62, about 1⁄2 mile downstream of Lost Creek Dam. The site is at an elevation of 1,545 feet above sea level at . The hatchery land covers . The US Army Corps of Engineers constructed the hatchery in 1973 to mitigate impacts to salmon spawning and rearing areas blocked by the construction of the Lost Creek, Applegate, and Elk Creek Dams (the latter was never constructed). The Hatchery was named in honor of Cole M. Rivers, a biologist on the Rogue River for 20 years. The facility is used for adult collection, spawning, egg incubation and rearing of spring
chinook Chinook may refer to: Chinook peoples The name derives from a settlement of Indigenous people in Oregon and Washington State. * Chinookan peoples, several groups of Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest ** Chinook Indian Nation, an organiza ...
,
coho COHO, short for Coherent Oscillator, is a technique used with radar systems based on the cavity magnetron to allow them to implement a moving target indicator display. Because the signals are only coherent when received, not transmitted, the concept ...
, summer
steelhead Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the Fish migration#Classification, anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or Columbia River redband trout (''O. m. gairdneri'', also called redband steelhead). Steelhead are native to cold-wa ...
, and winter steelhead, and egg incubation and rearing of fall chinook and
rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...
.


See also

*
List of lakes in Oregon This is a list of the lakes and reservoirs of Oregon. Swimming, fishing, and/or boating are permitted in some of these lakes, but not all. Gallery File:AbertRim-right.jpg, Lake Abert and the Abert Rim File:Applegate Lake Oregon.jpg, Applegate ...


References


External links


U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Corps Lake Gateway – Lost Creek LakeU.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Lost Creek LakeRecreation.gov: Lost Creek LakeRogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway
*

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070927202552/http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/BPANews/Library/images/Dams/ Bonneville Power Administration: Dams photo gallery {{authority control Reservoirs in Oregon Rogue River (Oregon) Rivers of Jackson County, Oregon Protected areas of Jackson County, Oregon 1977 establishments in Oregon