Coralville Lake

Coralville Lake
Coralville Dam on June 15, 2008, with the spillway fully opened, with water about 5 ft (1.5 m) deep
Location	Johnson County, Iowa, USA
Coordinates	41°43′28″N 91°31′47″W / 41.72444°N 91.52972°W / 41.72444; -91.52972Coordinates: 41°43′28″N 91°31′47″W / 41.72444°N 91.52972°W / 41.72444; -91.52972
Lake type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Iowa River, Shell Rock River
Primary outflows	Iowa River
Catchment area	Upper Mississippi River
Basin countries	United States
Water volume	461,200 acre·ft (568,900,000 m3)

Coralville Lake is a reservoir formed by Coralville Dam, a dam on the Iowa River just upstream from the city of Coralville, Iowa. Construction started in 1949, was delayed by the Korean War, and finally finished in 1958. The dam was built as a flood control project by the United States Army Corps of Engineers,^[1] and the lake has a capacity of 461,200 acre·ft (568,900,000 m³).^[2]

The lake and surrounding lakeshore have been extensively developed for recreational use.

Water first flowed over the 712-foot (217 m) emergency spillway on July 5, 1993 (see Great Flood of 1993), reaching a then-record crest. The record was surpassed by the June 2008 Midwest floods.^[3] Water again flowed over the 712-foot (217 m) emergency spillway on June 12, 2008, and the reservoir crested at 717 feet (219 m) early in the morning on June 15, 2008.^[4] These floods helped to uncover what is now the Devonian Fossil Gorge.

Lake Macbride is formed by another dam just up from the Coralville reservoir. This dam was overtopped by floodwaters in the flood of 2008, and the lake effectively became part of Coralville Lake.

Photos

• 

  Coralville Dam and Reservoir near Coralville, Iowa.

• 

  A tackle shop near Coralville Dam.

• 

  Coralville Lake as seen from the airplane during winter

References

1. ^ History of the dam's construction, from the Army Corps of Engineers, retrieved June 11, 2008
2. ^ http://www.usace.army.mil/cw/cecwb/annual_reports/fy05_annual_report/app_fy05.pdf, p. 6
3. ^ Flood of 2008 timeline | press-citizen.com | Iowa City Press Citizen
4. ^ Coralville Reservoir crested Saturday night | press-citizen.com | Iowa City Press Citizen

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Coralville Lake