Delintment Lake

Delintment Lake
A fisherman casting a line into the lake from grassy shoreline
Fishing at Delintment Lake
Location of Delintment Lake in Oregon
Location of Delintment Lake in Oregon
Delintment Lake
Location of Delintment Lake in Oregon
Location of Delintment Lake in Oregon
Location of Delintment Lake in Oregon
Delintment Lake
Delintment Lake (the United States)
LocationHarney County, Oregon, United States
Coordinates43°53′37″N 119°37′46″W / 43.89361°N 119.62944°W / 43.89361; -119.62944
TypeEutrophic reservoir
EtymologyNamed after F. S. De Lentiement, a 19th-century homesteader
Primary inflowsDelintment Creek
Primary outflowsDelintment Creek
Catchment area1.2 square miles (3.1 km2)
Basin countriesUnited States
Managing agencyUnited States Forest Service
Surface area62 acres (25 ha)
Average depth8 feet (2.4 m)
Max. depth18 feet (5.5 m)
Water volume485 acre-feet (598,000 m3)
Shore length11.6 miles (2.6 km)
Surface elevation5,562 feet (1,695 m)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Delintment Lake is an artificial lake about 33 miles (53 km) northwest of Burns in the U.S. state of Oregon.[1] Its name derives from that of homesteader F. S. De Lentiement, who in 1891 was granted ownership of a 160-acre (65 ha) tract that included the land where the lake now stands.[2]

The lake originated as a series of beaver ponds along Delintment Creek, a tributary of Silver Creek in Harney County. In 1940, the United States Forest Service combined and enlarged the ponds, and in 1953 local interest groups made further changes to improve conditions for fishing and other recreation. The dam that impounds the lake is 270 feet (82 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) high.[1]

A Malheur National Forest campground with 29 campsites is adjacent to the lake. Activities include fishing, swimming, picnicking, and boating. Campground hosts are present during the summer.[3]

  1. ^ a b "Delintment Lake (Harney)". Atlas of Oregon Lakes. Portland State University. 1985–2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  2. ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003). Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 276–77. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  3. ^ "Delintment Lake Campground". U.S. Forest Service. 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.