Perry Lake is a

US Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

operated

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 northeast

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. Its primary purposes are

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

, water reserve for nearby areas and regional recreation. The lake is approximately 11,150 acres (45 km²) in size, with over of shoreline. Perry Lake's full multi-purpose pool elevation is above sea level. Perry Lake is located about west of

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

, just northwest of

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

. Its close proximity to Kansas City, Lawrence, and the state capitol,

Topeka Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central Un ...

, make it a very popular destination, with the nickname "Paradise on the Plains".

History

The dam was constructed on the Delaware River to help control flooding downstream in both the Delaware and Kansas rivers. Completed in 1966, the rolled earth fill dam is long and rises to in height above the stream bed, abating flooding for over of northeast Kansas. In 1968 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reached a long term land usage lease with the Kansas Parks and Resources Department, allowing for the development of

Perry State Park Perry State Park is a state park located in Jefferson County, near Ozawkie, Kansas, United States, northeast of Topeka. The state park features camping, a beach, hiking and a fishing and boating area. Perry State Park was established in 1968 ...

Geography

Perry Lake is located at (39.1773424, -95.4516964) at an elevation of . It lies in northeastern

in the

Dissected Till Plains The Dissected Till Plains are physiographic sections of the Central Lowlands province, which in turn is part of the Interior Plains physiographic division of the United States, located in southern and western Iowa, northeastern Kansas, the southw ...

region of North America's Central Lowlands. The entirety of the reservoir lies within Jefferson County. The reservoir is impounded at its southern end by Perry Dam. The dam is located at (39.1138886, -95.4252525) at an elevation of . The

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

is both the reservoir's primary inflow from the north and outflow to the south. Smaller tributaries include Duck Creek, French Creek, and Rock Creek from the west and Little Slough Creek, Slough Creek, and Evans Creek from the east.

U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is in Independence Township, Mic ...

runs generally east-west approximately south of the dam. Kansas Highway 237 runs generally north-south from U.S. 24 into

. There, it becomes West Lake Road, crossing the lake's southwestern

arm In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between the ...

, and then it turns to the west. Ferguson Road, a paved county road, runs generally north-south east of the reservoir, crossing its southeastern arm. Kansas Highway 92, which runs east-west, crosses the northern portion of the reservoir. Several settlements lie on or near the reservoir. The largest is its namesake, the community of

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...

, located on the Delaware River a few miles south of the dam. Ozawkie lies on the western shore at the lake's northern end. To the east and south of Ozawkie, a number of

unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

lie on both sides of the lake. In order from north to south, these are: Lake Shore, Lakewood Hills, and Lakeside Village on the eastern shore and Indian Ridge, West Shore, Hilldale, Hilldale South, Lake Ridge, and Hickory Acres on the western shore. Thompsonville lies immediately south of the lake at the west end of the dam.

Hydrography

The surface area, surface elevation, and water volume of the reservoir fluctuate based on inflow and local climatic conditions. In terms of capacity, the Corps of Engineers vertically divides the reservoir into a set of pools based on volume and water level, and the reservoir is considered full when filled to the capacity of its multi-purpose pool. When full, Perry Lake has a surface area of , a surface elevation of , and a volume of . When filled to maximum capacity, it has a surface area of , a surface elevation of , and a volume of . The streambed underlying the reservoir has an elevation of . Since the reservoir's initial flooding, sedimentation has gradually accumulated on the reservoir bottom thus raising its elevation.

Activities

Perry State Park, located along the southwest part of Perry Lake, offers a wide variety of water recreation and outdoor activities: *Boating: Boats and personal watercraft of all types are allowed. No limits are placed on horsepower, however boaters must follow all applicable state laws. Three marinas and multiple boat launch ramps are available around Perry Lake. *Camping: The Army Corps of Engineers Slough Creek Campground offers 265 campsites in a mix of walk-in tent sites, sites with full electrical and water hookup, and two large designated group campsites.

offers a further 102 campsites with full utility hookups and over 200 primitive campsites. Cabin rentals are also available from the state park. *Equestrian activities: Perry State Park and the public use Corps of Engineers land has over 25 miles of horse trails for exploration. Primitive camping is allowed at select locations along the trails. *Fishing: Bassmaster.com has named Perry Lake one of America's 100 best bass lakes. In addition to the

white bass The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12-15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with white s ...

and

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 ...

, many other species of fish are also available to anglers including

bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...

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 ...

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'' ...

sauger 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 ...

, and

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

. *Hike/Bike trails: Nine bike trails of varying length and difficulty are provided. The Perry Lake Trail system for hikers has been nationally recognized.

References

External links