Keystone 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 contr ...

in northeastern

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

on the

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

and Cimarron rivers. It is located upstream about from

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...

. It was created in 1968 when the Keystone Dam was completed. The primary purposes are: flood control, hydroelectric power generation, wildlife management and recreation."Keystone Lake Info." Retrieved April 22, 2012
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General description

Keystone Lake is about in area, and was designed to contain of water."Keystone Lake, Oklahoma" Lakelubbers.com
Accessed October 22, 2016 It was named for the community of Keystone, which existed on the site from 1900 until 1962, when it was inundated by the waters of the lake. Construction of the lake forced the relocation of three other towns:

Mannford, Oklahoma Mannford is a city in Creek County in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. In 2010, the population was 3,076, up from 2,095 at the 2000 census. The city sits next to Keystone Lake and claims to be the "Striped Bass Capital of th ...

(also known as New Mannford by locals), Prue (also known as New Prue), and Appalachia Bay, Oklahoma. The town of Osage was partially abandoned to the lake, while the rest clings to the south shore. Engineers built a levee around low-lying areas of the south and east sides of

Cleveland, Oklahoma Cleveland is a city in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, United States. The 2010 census population was 3,251, a decrease of 0.9 percent from the figure of 3,282 recorded in 2000. History After the Cherokee Outlet opening, a homesteader by the name of Wi ...

to prevent flooding of that city. The shoreline extends for . Two Oklahoma state parks, Keystone State Park and Walnut Creek State Park, are located along the shores of the lake offering camping, hiking and biking trails, fishing, swimming and boating opportunities. The area also features a Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort as you cross the Keystone Dam near Sand Springs. The Keystone Lake project was authorized by the

Flood Control Act of 1950 Title II of Public Law 516-81st Congress, which per Section 216 thereof may be cited as The Flood Control Act of 1950, was a law passed by the United States Congress authorizing flood control projects around the country. The Act was prompted in p ...

. It was designed and built by the Tulsa District, Army Corps of Engineers. Construction began in January 1957 and was complete for flood control purposes in September 1964. Commercial operation of the power generating facility began in May 1968. A reregulating dam, located downstream of the main dam, was also completed in 1968. Cost of the total project was approximately $123 million. In 1986, the reregulating dam was removed due to public safety issues, as 16 people had drowned at the dam.

Dam construction details

The dam was actually constructed across the Arkansas River, downstream of the confluence with the Cimarron River. It is built of rolled earthfill material. Maximum height of the dam is above the stream bed. The total length of the dam is , including a -long concrete section. The spillway in the concrete section is wide. The non-overflow part of the concrete section includes a power intake structure. State Highway 151 crosses the dam, connecting State Highway 51 on the south with

U.S. Highway 64 U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles (3,743 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route ...

on the north. The spillway is a gated ogee weir, wide with eighteen tainter gates, each . Spillway capacity at the maximum pool level (elevation ) is . Capacity at the top of the flood control pool level (elevation ) is . The spillway also has nine sluices, each . The power intake structure is between the spillway and the left non-overflow section of the dam. It includes two penstocks, each diameter and controlled by two gates. The power generation facility includes two hydroelectric generators, each rated at .

Largest release in service

In September and October 1986, Keystone Lake was filled to capacity when the remnants of Hurricane Paine entered Oklahoma and dropped nearly of water into the Cimmaron and Arkansas rivers northwest of the lake, requiring the Corps of Engineers to release water downstream at a rate of , which made downstream flooding inevitable. As a result, a private levee in West Tulsa failed, causing more than $1.3 million in damages."Setting and History: Learning the Hard Way." Accessed August 23, 2012

Recreation

According to the Corps of Engineers website, Keystone Lake has 16 recreational areas (including 3 alcohol-free beaches), 11 boat ramps, 4 marinas and 2 off-road vehicle areas. There are also campgrounds, a waterfowl refuge and a public hunting area. Keystone State Park nearby offers cabins. Fishing is popular, with the most plentiful species being striped bass, white bass, black bass, small mouth bass, crappie, and catfish.U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District. "Keystone Lake." Accessed April 23, 201

/ref> Fauna around the lake include: white-tailed deer, raccoon, bobcat, coyote, beaver, squirrel, cottontail rabbit, quail, dove, ducks and geese. Hunting and fishing licenses are regulated by Oklahoma and Federal laws.

Notes

References

External links

Keystone Lake information, photos and videos on TravelOK.com
Official travel and tourism website for the State of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
{{authority control Protected areas of Creek County, Oklahoma Protected areas of Osage County, Oklahoma Protected areas of Pawnee County, Oklahoma Reservoirs in Oklahoma Protected areas of Tulsa County, Oklahoma Infrastructure completed in 1968 Bodies of water of Tulsa County, Oklahoma Bodies of water of Creek County, Oklahoma Bodies of water of Osage County, Oklahoma Bodies of water of Pawnee County, Oklahoma 1968 establishments in Oklahoma