Dexter Reservoir (also known as Dexter Lake) 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 Lane County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. It is about southeast of Eugene on the

Middle Fork Willamette River The Middle Fork Willamette River is one of several forks that unite to form the Willamette River in the western part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is approximately long, draining an area of the Cascade Range southeast of Eugene, which is at th ...

, immediately downriver from Lookout Point Lake, another reservoir. The communities of Dexter and Lowell are near the lake.

Oregon Route 58 Oregon Route 58 (OR 58), also known as the Willamette Highway No. 18 (see Oregon highways and routes), is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oregon. The route, signed east–west, runs in a southeast–northwest direction, connecting U.S. R ...

follows the lake's southern shore, while Pengra Road parallels the lake's northern shore as far east as Lowell. Dexter Dam, high, impounds up to of water in the reservoir. The powerhouse at the dam can generate 15,000

kilowatts The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

of electricity. The lake and three adjacent state parks are used for water sports and other outdoor recreation.

History

The two reservoirs, Dexter and Lookout Point, were created in 1954 when the

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

finished building the dams that contain them. Dexter exists partly to control water surges from the upstream lake during Lookout Point's production of

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

. Dexter Lake's water levels vary greatly, while the flow below Dexter Dam remains relatively steady. The Dexter and Lookout Point projects are among 13 that the Corps built in the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...

Recreation

In addition to mitigating floods and generating electricity, Dexter Reservoir is used for recreation. Three state parks are located near the lake.

Dexter State Recreation Site Dexter State Recreation Site is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. See also * Dexter Lake * Dexter, Oregon Dexter is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United ...

is a park with picnic tables, toilets, and a boat launch adjacent to Dexter Dam, about southeast of Eugene. Activities at or near the park include swimming, fishing, sailing, and other water sports. The University of Oregon Rowing Team has practiced continuously on the reservoir since 1967. Elijah Bristow State Park is an park that stretches for along the south bank of the river below Dexter Dam. Park amenities include picnic tables, restrooms,

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

staging areas, horseshoe pits, a wildlife viewing platform, and a boat launch. The park has of trails through woods and meadows. Most of the trails are open to mountain bikers and equestrians as well as hikers.

Lowell State Recreation Site Lowell State Recreation Site is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), officially known (in state law) as the State Parks and Recrea ...

is a waterfront park on the north side of Dexter Lake. Amenities include picnic tables, a boat launch, dock, playground, basketball court, and restrooms. Fishing, swimming, sailing, and waterskiing are among possible activities at this site. Dexter Lake supports populations of

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

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 ...

, and smallmouth bass. The lake also has large populations of

northern pikeminnow The Northern pikeminnow, Columbia River dace or formerly Squawfish (''Ptychocheilus oregonensis'') is a large member of the minnow family, Leuciscidae. This predatory freshwater fish is native to northwestern North America, ranging from the Nass ...

. The City of Lowell encourages removal of this

rough fish Rough fish (or the slang trash fish or dirt fish) is a term used by some United States state agencies and anglers to describe fish that are less desirable to sport anglers within a defined region. The term usually refers to larger game fish species ...

during a pikeminnow contest held each July.Sheehan, p. 131

References

Works cited

*Bannan, Jan (2002). ''Oregon State Parks: A Complete Recreation Guide'', 2nd ed. Seattle, Washington: The Mountaineers Books. . *Sheehan, Madelynne Diness (2005). Fishing in Oregon: The Complete Oregon Fishing Guide, 10th ed. Scappoose, Oregon: Flying Pencil Publications. . {{authority control Reservoirs in Oregon Lakes of Lane County, Oregon Tributaries of the Willamette River Protected areas of Lane County, Oregon Dams in Oregon United States Army Corps of Engineers dams 1954 establishments in Oregon