Boomer Lake is located in the city of
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater ( iow, Ñápinⁿje, ''meaning: "Water quiet"'') is a city in, and the county seat of, Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. Route 177 and State Highway 51. As of th ...
, United States, and was completed in 1925. The lake, as an artificial reservoir created by damming Stillwater Creek, serves several purposes such as cooling the local
power plant
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many pow ...
and providing entertainment and recreation. Boomer Lake has a surface area of , watershed area of , shoreline length of , shoreline development ratio of 4.17, and mean depth of . The lake was designed to contain in 1932, but in 2010 the capacity was reportedly only .
[www.owrb.ok.gov/studies/reports/reports_pdf/BoomerLakeHydrographicSurvey.pdf Oklahoma Water Resources Board. "Hydrographic Survey of Boomer Lake." September 28, 2015.](_blank)
Accessed December 5, 2019.
In 2011 Boomer Lake underwent severe drying due to lack of water, with water levels dropping as much as 15 ft and the shoreline receding up to 40 ft in some areas.
The lake serves as a great source for
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
and contains many varieties of fish such as
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 ...
, hybrid bass,
saugeye
The sauger (''Sander canadensis'') is a freshwater perciform fish of the family Percidae that resembles its close relative, the walleye. The species is a member of the largest vertebrate order, the Perciformes.Jaeger, Matthew. 2004. Montana's Fi ...
,
channel catfish
The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus'') is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, the ...
,
flathead catfish
The flathead catfish (''Pylodictis olivaris''), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus ''P ...
,
crappie
Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers.
Etymology
The genus name ''Pomoxis'' ...
and many species of
sunfish.
David L. Payne gravesite
The grave site of
David L. Payne
David Lewis Payne (December 30, 1836 – November 28, 1884) was an American soldier and pioneer. Payne is considered by some to be the "Father of Oklahoma" for his work in opening the state to settlement.
He organized, trained, and led the ...
, a famous figure in pre-statehood history of Oklahoma is on Boomer Lake, where he was reinterred in 1995.
["David L. Payne - Boomer Lake - Stillwater, OK".](_blank)
Accessed January 26, 2016.
Fish Advisory
In 2010, the Oklahoma State Department of Environmental Quality issued a fish advisory for the largemouth bass in the lake, with elevated
mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
levels detected in the lake's population of largemouth bass. Other species of fish do not fall under the advisory. The advisory cautions against eating more than two servings per month of bass longer than 19 inches in length, and suggests children and women of childbearing age should restrict consumption to two servings per month of fish between 16-19 inches. As of early 2014, this advisory remained in effect.
[''Stillwater Newspress''. July 16, 2010. Allen, Silas. "DEQ Issues Fish Advisory for Boomer Lake]
Stillwater NewsPress
/ref>
References
External links
Oklahoma Water Resources Board: Boomer Lake Water Quality
U.S. EPA: What You Need to Know about Mercury in Fish and Shellfish
Angelfire website. Accessed January 26, 2016.
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Reservoirs in Oklahoma
Bodies of water of Payne County, Oklahoma
Tourist attractions in Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater, Oklahoma
1925 establishments in Oklahoma