Shelley Lake is a small

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

located entirely in the city of

Spokane Valley The Spokane Valley is a valley of the Spokane River through the southern Selkirk Mountains in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The valley is home to the cities of Spokane and its suburbs Spokane Valley, Washington, Spokane Vall ...

, in the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. The lake is surrounded on three sides by the 248 lot

gated community A gated community (or walled community) is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences ...

of Shelley Lake Estates. The lake is kept full by Saltese Creek, which is supplied by drainage canals from the

Saltese Flats The Saltese Flats is a Flat (landform), flat located in Spokane County, just outside Washington (state), Greenacres Washington, United States. The flats are occupied by the residual wetlands of the now-drained Saltese Lake. The term Saltese Flats ...

. Although an open lake, there are no above-ground outflows.

Geography

Shelley Lake is located in the Veradale area of the city of Spokane Valley approximately one-half mile south of Sprague Avenue, the main east–west surface street in the Valley. The lake is located on the relatively flat floor of the

, just below hills which rise to the south into the uplands which comprise most of the lake's drainage basin. The lake itself is located at 2,008 feet above sea level. Saltese Creek flows into Shelley Lake from the southeast and drains a mostly suburban, exurban, agricultural and rural area from the

to the Saltese Uplands and the northwest face of

Mica Peak Mica Peak is the name of two separate mountain summits in the United States located approximately apart; one in Spokane County, Washington and the other in Kootenai County, Idaho. The two peaks are located along the same ridge, which separates ...

above that. The area immediately surrounding the lake is of a suburban nature, with most of the shoreline occupied by the Shelley Lake Estates gated community. The eastern shore is dominated by a hillside that is a separate private property. Public access to the lake through Shelley Lake Estates is limited to residents and their guests. Shelley Lake has no natural surface outlet, with water instead leaving the lake through evaporation or as

groundwater recharge Groundwater recharge or deep drainage or deep percolation is a hydrologic process, where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. This process usually occurs in ...

into the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer.

References

Lakes of Washington (state) Lakes of Spokane County, Washington {{SpokaneCountyWA-geo-stub

Geography

See also

References