Sardis Lake (Oklahoma)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sardis Lake | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Pushmataha County, Oklahoma |
| Coordinates | |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Jackfork Creek |
| Primary outflows | Jackfork Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 14,360 acres (58 km²) |
Sardis Lake is an artificial lake (reservoir) in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, USA. A smaller part of the lake is in Latimer County, Oklahoma. The dam impounding the lake is located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Clayton. The lake covers 14,360 acres (58 km²) with 117 miles (188 km) of shoreline. The lake is an impoundment of Jackfork Creek, a tributary of the Kiamichi River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the dam and lake in 1974 under a contract with the state of Oklahoma for the purpose of selling water to municipalities and industrial customers in Oklahoma. Oklahoma agreed to make 50 annual payments and to pay the costs of operating the dam and lake. However, the state was unable to sell the water it needed to recover its costs, so the state discontinued payments to the federal government in 1997. The federal government sued the state for breach of contract and recovery of funds. The case wound its way through the courts and eventually Oklahoma lost the case when the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.[1]
