Wes Watkins Reservoir 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 ...

located in Pottawatomie County in central

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, between

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

and

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

(in the center of McLoud). Its primary use is

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...

, especially

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

. Wes Watkins Reservoir was opened to the public in August 1999 and is considered a relatively young reservoir. The

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

is operated by the City of McLoud as of July 1, 2010. It was formerly managed by Pottawatomie County Development Authority. The reservoir was named in honor of former Oklahoma

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

Wes Watkins Wesley Wade Watkins (born December 15, 1938) is an American politician from the state of Oklahoma. Watkins is a retired member of the United States House of Representatives where he had represented for 14 years as a Democrat and then for six ye ...

. It was initially known as North Deer Creek Lake. The Shawnee city commissioners approved the transfer of Wes Watkins Reservoir recreational operations and management to the city of McLoud, beginning July 1, 2010. Its drainage area is 38.5 square miles. According to a report by Camp, Dresser & McKee (CDM), the normal capacity of the reservoir is .
Multi-Reservoir Yield and Operations Analysis. For City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. By Camp, Dresser & McKee Inc. (CDM) March 28, 2012. Accessed November 26, 2019.

References

External links

Wes Watkins Reservoir as described at OutdoorsOK.com

Wes Watkins Reservoir as described by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

* {{authority control Reservoirs in Oklahoma Protected areas of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Infrastructure completed in 1999 Bodies of water of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma 1999 establishments in Oklahoma

See also

References

External links