Lake W. R. Holway, or Chimney Rock Lake is a reservoir in

Mayes County, Oklahoma Mayes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,259. Its county seat is Pryor Creek. Named for Samuel Houston Mayes, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1895 to 1899, it was ...

on the Saline Creek arm of

Lake Hudson (Oklahoma) Lake Hudson, also known as Markham Ferry Reservoir, is a man-made reservoir in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States, about northwest of Locust Grove, Oklahoma and southeast of Pryor, Oklahoma.U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Lake Hudson (Markha ...

. It was created in 1968 by the

Grand River Dam Authority The Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) is an agency of the state of Oklahomcreated to control, develop, and maintain the Grand River (Oklahoma), Grand River waterway. It was created by the Oklahoma state legislature in 1935, and is headquartered in ...

(GRDA) as an integral part of the

Salina Pumped Storage Project The Salina Pumped Storage Project is a pumped-storage power station near Salina, Oklahoma. It is owned and operated by the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA). Its construction was in response to growing power demands and a lack of dam sites on the ...

. It is northeast of Locust Grove and southeast of

Salina, Oklahoma Salina ( ) is a town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,396 at the 2010 census, a slight decline from the figure of 1,422 recorded in 2000. History For thousands of years indigenous peoples had lived along the rivers ...

. Originally named Chimney Rock Lake, it was renamed in 1981 to honor

W. R. Holway William Rea Holway (April 29, 1893 – April 23, 1981), commonly known as W. R. Holway, was an American civil engineer who became prominent in Oklahoma. He is best known for his work on major water supply projects for the city of Tulsa, and on ...

, the consulting engineer who was responsible for constructing the Spavinaw Water Project,

Pensacola Dam The Pensacola Dam, also known as the Grand River Dam, is a multiple-arch buttress dam on the Grand River in-between Disney and Langley in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The dam is operated by the Grand River Dam Authority and creates Grand Lake o ...

, and other important projects."Oklahoma Fishing Guides Website: Lake W. R. Holway." Retrieved September 19, 2011. Its primary purpose is peak power generation. The lake covers 712 acres and has a shoreline of 21 miles. A hydrographic survey of the lake in 2009 resulted in the following dimensions for the normal lake at an elevation of 865 ft:"Hydrographic Survey of W. R. Holway Reservoir". Oklahoma Water Resources Board. August 12, 2009.
/ref> :*Area 762 acres :*Volume 50,372 acre-ft :*Mean depth 66.1 ft :*Maximum depth 182 ft.

History

Public usage

This lake is also a popular location for fishing, especially for

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

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

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

. GRDA prohibits swimming and the use of internal combustion engines on the reservoir.

References

External links

*
Hydrographic Survey of W. R. Holway Reservoir
. Oklahoma Water Resources Board. August 12, 2009. {{authority control Holway Protected areas of Mayes County, Oklahoma Dams completed in 1968 Holway