Curlew Lake

About

Curlew Lake is a 921-acre (3.73 km2) lake located in the glacier-carved Curlew Valley, south of Curlew and northeast of Republic, Washington. The spring- and stream-fed lake is named for the long-billed curlew, Numenius americanus, that once frequented the area. The 7-mile-long (11 km) lake reaches a maximum of 1⁄3 miles wide and includes four small islands.

The average depth of the lake is 43 ft (13 m) deep with a maximum depth of 130 ft (40 m) reached in the northern area. Curlew Lake provides visitors and residents with opportunities for kayaking, boating, fishing, swimming, water skiing, canoeing, and sailing. Public access is available at Curlew Lake State Park at the lake's south end.

The first elevation determinations for Ferry County establishing the water level of Curlew Lake were made from 1901 to 1903 by E. M. Fry and F.E. Fellows. The official elevation of the surface of Curlew Lake was recorded on May 13, 1901, as 2,345 ft (715 m).

In 1917 the Washington State legislature granted the Curlew Irrigation District the right to overflow the shore lands bordering the lake up to and including the high-water mark.

Two years later a recommendation was made by the state game warden in 1919 that Curlew Lake be made into a reservoir for storing irrigation water. In 1926, with the construction of a 3 ft (0.91 m) dam at the north end of the lake, the water level was stabilized at an elevation 2,333 ft (711 m), 12 ft (3.7 m) lower than the original 1901 determination.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.