Lake Havasu
Human-made reservoir on the Colorado River in Arizona and California, United States
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Lake Havasu is legally and structurally mandated to maintain a near-constant water elevation between 445 and 450 feet, even during severe Colorado River droughts. As a critical extraction point for major aqueducts, upstream reservoirs like Lake Mead and Lake Powell must absorb basin-wide water deficits to keep Lake Havasu functional.
Aqueducts
Mark Wilmer Pumping Plant pumps water into the Central Arizona Project Aqueduct. Whitsett Pumping Plant is located on the lake, and lifts the water 291 feet (89 m) for the Colorado River Aqueduct. Gene Pumping Plant, south of Gene Wash Reservoir, is west-southwest of Parker Dam and gives the water an additional boost of 303 feet (92 m). The Colorado River Aqueduct has three more pumping plants: Iron Mountain (144 feet (44 m)), Eagle Mountain (438 feet (134 m)), and Julian Hinds (441 feet (134 m)). The total lift is 1,617 feet (493 m).
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Natural history
The shorelines are in the ecotone (transition zone) of the higher Mojave Desert to the lower Sonoran Desert and its Californian Colorado Desert ecoregions.
Havasu National Wildlife Refuge is located at the upper end and upriver. Lake Havasu State Park is along the eastern shore in Arizona. The Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge extends southeastward up the riparian zone of the Bill Williams River canyon from the southeastern end of the reservoir and dam.
Fish
Lake Havasu is well known for its recreational fishing and boating, which bring in about a million visitors a year. Fishing tournaments are often held on the lake, where bass are the main catch.
Fish list : Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, striped bass, carp, channel catfish, flathead catfish, crappie, razorback sucker, sunfish, and redear sunfish.
White sturgeon were stocked in Lake Havasu in 1967 and 1968 from stock obtained from San Pablo Bay, California. While some dead sturgeon were found downstream from Havasu (probably killed during passage over dams), living fish have not been recorded, but may still exist along the southern end of Lake Havasu near Parker Dam.
The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has developed a safe eating advisory for Lake Havasu based on levels of mercury found in fish caught from this water body.
Recreation
The Bureau of Land Management operates 73 campsites on the eastern shore of Lake Havasu. Arizona State Parks operates Lake Havasu State Park and Cattail Cove State Park on the eastern shore of the lake. The northern part of the lake is included in the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge.
Havasu Springs Resort, a BLM concession, operates on the south edge of Lake Havasu. Black Meadow Landing, another BLM concession, operates on the west bank of the lake.