Lake of the Ozarks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Lake of the Ozarks is a large man-made reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in central Missouri in the northern part of The Ozarks. In addition, three smaller tributaries of the Osage which were also impounded include the Niangua River, the Grand Glaize River, and Gravois Creek. The lake has a surface area of 55,000 acres (223 km²), over 1150 miles of shoreline (1850 km), and the main channel of the Osage Arm stretches 92 miles from end to end (148 km). The total drainage area is over 14,000 square miles.

The lake was created by the construction of the 2,543 foot long (775 m) Bagnell Dam by Union Electric Company of St. Louis, Missouri. Construction began August 6, 1929, and was completed in April 1931. The dam is operated and maintained by AmerenUE (formerly Union Electric Company), under the authority of a permit issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

At the time of construction, it was one of the largest man-made lakes in the world and the largest in the United States. Although originally built to provide hydroelectric power for customers of Union Electric, the lake quickly became a significant tourist destination for the Midwest. There are over 70,000 homes existing along the lake, many of which are vacation homes. Spectacular scenery characteristic of the Ozarks has also helped to transform the lake into a major resort area. More than 3 million people visit the lake annually.

The Lake of the Ozarks is unique in the fact that it is the largest man-made, non-flood control lake lake in the United States. The lake rarely varies in surface elevation by more than 5 feet, with normal pool elevation of 660.0 feet above mean sea level. Most of the adjacent shoreline on the Lake of the Ozarks is privately owned, and the relatively stable surface elevation has created ideal conditions for private development within a few feet of the shoreline. The lake is also known as the "Midwest Coast".

During the process of land acquisition for the lake during the 1920s, 17,500 acres of land along the Grand Glaize Arm of the lake was set aside for a National Park. In 1946, this land was acquired by the State of Missouri for Lake of the Ozarks State Park, the largest State Park in Missouri. Other State Parks on the shores of the lake include Ha Ha Tonka State Park which is located on the Niangua Arm of the lake.