Lake Red Rock, also referred to as Red Rock Reservoir is a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

formed by Red Rock Dam on the Des Moines River, about southeast of the city of

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

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 ...

The dam was completed in 1969 as a

Flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

project by the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

, creating the largest

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 ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. Lake Red Rock was named after one of the lost towns under the reservoir, Red Rock. The lake is essentially confined to Marion County. The damface is a few miles west and south of

Pella Pella () is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It served as the capital of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. Currently, it is located 1 km outside the modern town of Pella ...

, and similarly, a few miles northeast of

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

Recreation and points of interest

The lake shore has various recreational activities such as camping, hiking, boating and fishing. The state maintains Elk Rock State Park on both sides of the lake while Roberts Creek Park and Cordova Park (location of Cordova Tower) are managed by the Marion County Conservation Board. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains several campgrounds as well: White Breast Recreation Area, Ivans Recreation Area, Wallashuck Recreation Area, Howell Station Recreation Area, and the North Overlook Recreation Area. There is also a "

water trail Water trails (also known as blueways) are marked routes on navigable waterway such as rivers, lakes, canals, and coastlines for recreational use. They allow access to waterways for non-motorized boats and sometimes motorized vessels, inner tube ...

", known as the Red Rock Water Trail, where one can float down the Des Moines River from the southeast corner of Polk County to the lake and down to Red Rock Dam. Flotilla 4 of the

Coast Guard Auxiliary The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGAUX, CGAux, or USCG Aux) is the uniformed, civilian volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. Congress established the military organization, unit on 23 June 1939, as the United States Coa ...

provides boating safety education and free vessel safety checks to boaters in the area. A major landmark is what is locally called the "Mile Long Bridge", carrying Iowa Highway 14 at its upstream end.

References

External links

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Lake Red RockU.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Corps Lake Gateway – Lake Red Rock

Red Rock DamEPA statisticsArmy Corps Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Rock Reservoirs in Iowa Bodies of water of Marion County, Iowa