| Malheur Reservoir | |
|---|---|
  Malheur Reservoir  Malheur Reservoir | |
| Location | Malheur, Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates | 44°21′54″N 117°41′54″W / 44.3649749°N 117.6984041°W[1] |
| Type | Lake |
| River sources | Willow Creek |
| Surface area | 1,282 acres (519 ha) |
| Average depth | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Surface elevation | 3,365 ft (1,026 m) |
Malheur Reservoir is an irrigation lake along Willow Creek in Malheur County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Built by the Orchard Irrigation District in the 1930s, the 1,282-acre (5.19 km2) lake can hold about 49,000 acre-feet (60,000,000 m3) of water, which is used to irrigate about 2,300 acres (930 ha) of farmland downstream. Draining a semi-arid rangeland basin of 254 square miles (660 km2), the reservoir receives very high concentrations of nutrients and is naturally eutrophic.[2]
About 80 percent of the 12.3-mile (19.8 km) shoreline is privately owned,[2] but the lake and part of the shore is open to public use.[3] Since the mid-1960s, the reservoir has been stocked with rainbow trout,[2] although fishing conditions have varied with weather cycles, and the reservoir has at times gone dry during drought.[3] During wet cycles, it is capable of producing trout in excess of 20 inches (51 cm) long.[3]
The lake is accessible by dirt road, starting either from an intersection with U.S. Route 26, about 15 miles (24 km) to the southwest, near Ironside, or from a different intersection with Route 26, about 15 miles (24 km) to the southeast near Brogan.[3] The lake has a boat ramp on the north shore, and camping is possible in a few places near the ramp.[3] The Malheur County Parks Department maintains the boat ramp as well as gravel parking and a restroom.[4]