Arkabutla Lake is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

on the Coldwater River in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. It was created following the construction of the Arkabutla Dam in 1940 on the Coldwater River. The

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

is located on Arkabutla Dam Rd (

Mississippi Highway 301 Mississippi Highway 301 (MS 301) is a north-south state highway in northwestern Mississippi. It runs from the community of Arkabutla, Mississippi, Arkabutla in Tate County, Mississippi, Tate County, north across Arkabutla Dam, to the Tennessee bor ...

Mississippi Highway 304 Scenic Mississippi Highway 304 (MS 304) is east-west state highway in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Mississippi, running for as a four-lane freeway from U.S. Route 61 (US 61) in Tunica Resorts to the Tennessee state line near Co ...

) approximately north of the small community of Arkabutla. It is one of four Flood Damage Reduction reservoirs in northern

, with the others being

Sardis Sardis () or Sardes (; Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard''; el, Σάρδεις ''Sardeis''; peo, Sparda; hbo, ספרד ''Sfarad'') was an ancient city at the location of modern ''Sart'' (Sartmahmut before 19 October 2005), near Salihli, ...

, Enid and

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

lakes. With an annual visitation exceeding 2 million people, Arkabutla Lake accommodates a wide variety of recreational interest and activities throughout the entire year. The Arkabutla Lake project includes of land and water. The dam is long with an average height of . There are of land at the project which are open to the public for hunting.

History

According to th
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
website, after a series of disastrous floods during the mid-19th century and early 20th century, high priority was given to

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

projects. The worst flood in modern history of the Lower Mississippi Valley occurred in the

Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States, with inundated in depths of up to over the course of several months in early 1927. The uninflated cost of the damage has been estimat ...

; the resulting damage and destruction was a catalyst for a comprehensive program to be developed for flood control along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. The

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

became the planners, designers and builders of the flood control projects. These projects were made possible by Congress passing the

Flood Control Act of 1937 The Flood Control Act of 1937 (FCA 1937) was an Act of the United States Congress signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 28, 1937, as Public Law 406. The act was a response to major flooding throughout the United States in th ...

. Engineers determined the headwaters of the

Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the ...

contributed to or caused much of the flooding that occurred in the

Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo ...

region. In addition to the construction of levees along the Yazoo River, four flood control reservoirs were constructed in north Mississippi as part of the Yazoo Basin Headwater Project. Arkabutla Dam, the second of the dams to be built, was constructed in 1940 on the Coldwater River. In 1942, the U.S. Government moved the town of Coldwater and approximately 700 residents, at a cost of $250,000, to its present location south of the original site. Today a monument dedicated to the old town of Coldwater, which was flooded and submerged by creation of the dam and reservoir, stands just west of the Coldwater exit off Interstate 55. A few remnants of the old town are visible, but a majority of the site remains underwater year round. When completed, the Yazoo Headwater Project will protect of land against flooding and will partially protect another . Benefits of the Headwater Project are reduced flooding around the cities of Greenwood, Yazoo City, Belzoni, and other smaller communities within the Yazoo River Basin. It has led to increased agricultural and industrial productivity because more land is available for these purposes. As a result, the region's national and international markets for produce have greatly increased, and families have benefited from the growing job market.

Fish

The main fish that live in the lake are

Largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

, Smallmouth bass,

Spotted bass The spotted bass (''Micropterus punctulatus''), also called spotty, or spots in various fishing communities, is a species of North American freshwater fish belonging to the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of the order Perciformes. It is noted f ...

Blue catfish The blue catfish (''Ictalurus furcatus'') is the largest species of North American catfish, reaching a length of and a weight of . The typical length is about 25–46 in (64–117 cm). The fish can live to 20 years. The native distribution ...

Black crappie The black crappie (''Pomoxis nigromaculatus'') is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie in size, shape, and habits, except that it is darker, with a pattern of black sp ...

White crappie The white crappie (''Pomoxis annularis'') is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two species of crappies. Alternate common names for the species include goldring and silver perch. is named for the fish. The genus name ''Pomoxis ...

Bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...

Green sunfish The green sunfish (''Lepomis cyanellus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They are us ...

Longear sunfish The longear sunfish (''Lepomis megalotis'') is a freshwater fish in the sunfish family, Centrarchidae, of order Perciformes. It is native to the area of eastern North America stretching from the Great Lakes down to northeastern Mexico.Berra, Tim ...

Redear sunfish The redear sunfish (''Lepomis microlophus''), also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch) is a freshwater fish in the family Centrarchidae and is native to the southeast ...

Warmouth The warmouth (''Lepomis gulosus'') is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) that is found throughout the eastern United States. Other local names include molly, redeye, goggle-eye, red-eyed bream, and strawberry perch. Descript ...

White bass The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12-15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with white s ...

Representation in other media

The

Coen brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

' movie, ''

O Brother, Where Art Thou? ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' is a 2000 comedy drama film written, produced, co-edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson, with Chris Thomas King, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and C ...

'' (2000), set in 1937, has action taking place in a valley that is flooded during the construction of the (fictional) Arktabutta Reservoir, based on Arkabutla Lake. A brief still shot of a newspaper dated Tuesday, July 13, 1937, bears the headline " T.V.A. FINALIZING PLANS FOR FLOODING OF ARKTABUTTA VALLEY". The character Everett McGill claimed to have buried treasure at a cabin located in that valley.

References

Sources

External links

Arkabutla Lake official web page
-

USACE , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

official web page.
Synopsis for ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?''
imdb.com {{authority control Reservoirs in Mississippi Protected areas of DeSoto County, Mississippi Protected areas of Tate County, Mississippi Dams in Mississippi United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Landforms of DeSoto County, Mississippi Landforms of Tate County, Mississippi 1940s establishments in Mississippi