Lake Wappapello 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 ...

on the

St. Francis River The St. Francis River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, about long, in southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas in the United States. The river drains a mostly rural area and forms part of the Missouri-Arkansas state line along the ...

, formed by Wappapello Dam (). Created in 1941, this lake is located south of St. Louis,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. The reservoir lies mostly in Wayne County, but its southernmost reaches (near the dam) extend into northern Butler County, both in Missouri. Both the dam and reservoir are owned and operated for the public by the

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

. Its primary purpose is flood control, although it has been developed as a recreational area with ample opportunities to boat, fish, swim or camp. The fish population of the lake include

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 ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

Lake Wappapello State Park Lake Wappapello State Park is a public recreation area consisting of bordering Lake Wappapello in Wayne County, Missouri. The state park features two campgrounds, trails for hikers, bikers, backpackers, and equestrians, and swimming, fishing ...

is composed of territory on the southwestern side of the lake.

References

External links

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Lake Wallapello
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wappapello Reservoirs in Missouri Protected areas of Butler County, Missouri Protected areas of Wayne County, Missouri Buildings and structures in Butler County, Missouri Buildings and structures in Wayne County, Missouri Dams in Missouri United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Bodies of water of Butler County, Missouri Bodies of water of Wayne County, Missouri