Clear Lake is a natural body of water impounded by sand dunes along the Oregon Coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States. The lake is the municipal water supply for the city of Reedsport, which lies about 4 miles (6 km) northeast of the lake. Clear Lake is closed to public access to protect the purity of the water.[1]
| Clear Lake | |
|---|---|
 Clear Lake, Douglas County from U.S. Route 101 | |
  Clear Lake Location of Clear Lake in Oregon, USA.  Clear Lake Clear Lake (the United States) | |
| Location | near Winchester Bay |
| Coordinates | 43°38′37″N 124°10′57″W / 43.64361°N 124.18250°W |
| Lake type | Natural, oligotrophic |
| Primary inflows | Small intermittent streams |
| Primary outflows | Through Edna Lake and Clear Creek to Eel Lake |
| Catchment area | 2 square miles (5.2 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 317 acres (128 ha) |
| Average depth | 54 feet (16 m) |
| Max. depth | 119 feet (36 m) |
| Water volume | 16,600 acre-feet (20,500,000 m3) |
| Residence time | 2.7 years |
| Shore length1 | 8.7 miles (14.0 km) |
| Surface elevation | 233 feet (71 m) |
| Settlements | Reedsport |
| References | [1][2][3] |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
U.S. Route 101 runs north–south along the west side of the lake.[1] The community of Winchester Bay is north of the lake; Umpqua Lighthouse State Park and the mouth of the Umpqua River are to the northwest, and Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area runs along the coast to the west.[4] The outflow from Clear Lake is south to Edna Lake, Clear Creek, and Eel Lake.[1]
Clear Lake, at 229 feet (70 m) above sea level, is the highest of several lakes formed by dunes encroaching on Clear Creek's ancestral valley.[1] Water from this string of lakes, including Eel Lake and Tenmile Lake, flows generally south into Tenmile Creek in Coos County, which flows west into the Pacific near the community of Lakeside.[1][4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Daniel M., ed. (1985). Atlas of Oregon Lakes. Petersen, Richard R. - Lycan, D. Richard - Sweet, James W. - Neuhaus, Mark E. - Schaedel, Andrew L. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. p. 167. ISBN 0-87071-343-4.
- ^ "Atlas of Oregon Lakes: Clear Lake (167) (Douglas County)". Portland State University. 1985–2012. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- ^ "Clear Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- ^ a b Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2008. pp. 44, 45. ISBN 978-0-89933-347-2.