Kaw Lake is a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 completed in 1976 in the northern reaches of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

, near Kaw City

Kaw City, Oklahoma

Kaw City is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 372 at the 2000 census. Kaw City was named for the Kanza Indians, called the Kaw by locals.-History:...

.

Kaw Dam is 9466 feet (2,885.2 m) long and 121 feet (36.9 m) above the stream bed. the dam lies 654 miles (1,052.5 km) above the mouth of the Arkansas River. The top of the flood control pool is 1044.5 feet (318.4 m), while the normal operating level is 1,010 feet.

The Reservoir covers approximately 17,040 acres (69 km²). It is the seventh largest lake in Oklahoma by surface area. At normal levels, the lake holds 428600 acre.ft of water, the ninth largest lake in capacity in Oklahoma. (See List of lakes in Oklahoma) It lies mostly in Kay County

Kay County, Oklahoma

Kay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 48,080. Its county seat is Newkirk. The largest city in Kay County is Ponca City.-19th century:...

 and partially in Osage County

Osage County, Oklahoma

Osage County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Coterminous with the Osage Indian Reservation, it is the home of the federally recognized Osage Nation. As of the 2010 census, the population was 47,472 a 6.8 percent increase from 2000, when the population was 44,437...

.

Kaw Dam was authorized by Congress in the Flood Control Act

Flood Control Act

There are multiple laws known as the Flood Control Act. Typically, they are administered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers:-List of Flood Control Acts:*Flood Control Act of 1917...

 of 1962. Ground was broken for the dam on May 21, 1966. The original town of Kaw City was covered by the waters of Kaw Lake in 1975. The dam was completed by the Corps of Engineers

United States Army Corps of Engineers

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...

 in May 1976. The cost of the dam and the lake was $111 million.

The Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA), a state governmental agency created in 1981 to provide wholesale electricity to cities and towns in Oklahoma, purchased the substructure of the dam in July 1987 at a cost of $3.8 million and constructed a hydroelectric plant that was completed in September 1989 at a cost of $25 million. Kaw Hydroelectric generates approximately 104 gigawatt hours of energy annually. The generator is nominally rated at 25.6 megawatts at 76 feet (23.2 m) of gross head with a maximum rating of 36.7 MVA. The plant at Kaw Dam provides power for over 35 municipal electrical systems in Oklahoma and southern Kansas.

The Corps of Engineers and Camp McFadden offers camping on the west shore of Kaw Lake at Ponca Cove.

The southern tip of Kaw Lake is 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Ponca City. Newkirk

Newkirk, Oklahoma

Newkirk is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,243 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kay County.-Geography:...

 is 6 miles (9.7 km) west of the upper end of the lake. Kaw City

Kaw City, Oklahoma

Kaw City is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 372 at the 2000 census. Kaw City was named for the Kanza Indians, called the Kaw by locals.-History:...

 is located on a hill overlooking the lake.

Camp McFadden

Camp McFadden is an outdoor recreational area on over 250 acres (1 km²) overlooking the west side of Kaw Lake near Ponca City, Oklahoma. Camp McFadden was created in 1927 as a children's camp by Bill McFadden

W. H. McFadden

-Early life:William H. McFadden, born in Moundsville, West Virginia on June 11, 1869, was an essential factor in opening up the oil fields of Oklahoma...

 on the Kygar ranch. The camp includes high and low ropes courses, cabins, a lodge with full kitchen, outdoor activities, and RV and tent camping and is used for team building, reunions, youth and church camps, weddings, and getaways. Future plans include a volleyball court, disc golf, softball field, soccer field and archery range. Camp McFadden is a non-profit 501(c)(3).

External links

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Kaw Lake
• Kaw Lake information and photos on TravelOK.com Official travel and tourism website for the State of Oklahoma
• Camp McFadden Recreation Area
• Kaw Lake Association
• Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority information on Kaw Lake at "operations" tab
• Ponca City Tourism