Lake Mayfield 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 ...

located near

Mossyrock, Washington Mossyrock is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 768 at the 2020 census. History The city began as a trading post named Mossy Rock in 1852, after a high moss-covered rock at the east end of Klickitat Prairie ...

, in Lewis County. It was created by Mayfield Dam on the

Cowlitz River The Cowlitz River is a river in the state of Washington in the United States, a tributary of the Columbia River. Its tributaries drain a large region including the slopes of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens. The Cowlitz has a ...

, one of the dams in the Columbia River watershed. The Mayfield Dam was constructed in 1963 as a concrete arch and gravity dam. Some high and capable of generating 162 megawatts, it supplies

Tacoma Power Tacoma Power is a public utility providing electrical power to Tacoma, Washington and the surrounding areas. Tacoma Power serves the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, and Fife, and also provides service to parts of Steilacoom, L ...

with a large percentage of its entire hydroelectric power supply, second only to

Mossyrock Dam Mossyrock Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Cowlitz River near Mossyrock in Lewis County, Washington. The reservoir created by the dam is called Riffe Lake and the primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric production while flood con ...

. The Cowlitz River Arm is significantly colder than the rest of the lake due to its proximity to the Riffe Lake which is created by Mossyrock Dam. The water from

Riffe Lake Riffe Lake is a long reservoir on the Cowlitz River in the U.S. state of Washington. It was created in with the construction of Mossyrock Dam by Tacoma City Light (now Tacoma Power). Originally named Mossyrock Lake, then later as Davisson Lake a ...

flows through the Mossyrock Powerhouse's two hydroelectric generators. The

Tilton River The Tilton River is a tributary of the Cowlitz River, in the U.S. state of Washington. Named for territorial surveyor James Tilton, it flows for about , entirely within Lewis County. Course The Tilton River originates in the Cascade Range just ...

arm is much warmer and shallower due to past landslides. Ike Kinswa State Park is located on a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

bounded by the Cowlitz River and the Tilton River. The lake contains an island with a lighthouse. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, there were many water ski and wake board tournaments held on the lake's Winston Creek arm where the Lake Mayfield Resort is located. The Mayfield Lake Youth camp is located up the Winston Creek arm adjacent to the Winston Creek Falls. The lake is also home to tiger muskies. Tiger muskies were introduced in 1993 to help control

northern pikeminnow The Northern pikeminnow, Columbia River dace or formerly Squawfish (''Ptychocheilus oregonensis'') is a large member of the minnow family, Leuciscidae. This predatory freshwater fish is native to northwestern North America, ranging from the Nass ...

(squawfish) populations.

References

{{authority control Mayfield Mayfield Protected areas of Lewis County, Washington Tacoma Public Utilities

See also

References