Lake Michie 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 ...

in central

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, within the

Neuse River The Neuse River ( , Tuscarora: Neyuherú·kęʔkì·nęʔ) is a river rising in the Piedmont of North Carolina and emptying into Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately , making it the longest river entirely contained in No ...

watershed. The lake is located in northern Durham County near the town of

Bahama The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the arch ...

. Fed principally by the Flat River, Lake Michie is the primary reservoir for the city of

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

. The reservoir

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 ...

was completed in 1926. In addition to retaining drinking water for the city, the concrete and earthwork dam, built between 1924 and 1926, supplied hydroelectric power to Durham until 1960, when the generators were removed.

Recreational area

Lake Michie has

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 ...

. Boat rentals are available. Other fish found in the lake include Bull Catfish, Mud Catfish, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Blue Catfish, Chain Pikerel, Longnose Gar, and various others.

Expansion

In 2004 city officials were considering expanding the lake, which normally supplies Durham with of drinking water per day to address future water needs and reverse the ongoing reduction in lake volume by sedimentary deposits.

2007 drought

During the

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

of 2007, both Lake Michie and the Little River Reservoir, Durham's primary sources of drinking water, were severely affected, despite a reduction in daily water use from per day to per day. As of 2 December, the lake level had fallen to below full. By March 2008 Lake Michie was once again filled to overflowing, thanks to above average rainfall.

References

External links

Durham water status page, showing lake levels, inflow and outflow.

Durham parks and recreation page on Lake Michie

* ttp://www.wral.com/news/local/image/1919269/?ref_id=1918963 Photo during the 2007 drought. {{authority control Michie Protected areas of Durham County, North Carolina Research Triangle Bodies of water of Durham County, North Carolina