Great Salt Plains Lake | |
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Location | Alfalfa County, Oklahoma |
Coordinates | 36°44′34.34″N 98°11′18.31″W / 36.7428722°N 98.1884194°W |
Lake type | reservoir |
Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 9,300 acres (3,800 ha) |
Average depth | 4 ft (1.2 m) |
Water volume | 31,420 acre⋅ft (38.76 hm3) |
Shore length1 | 91 mi (146 km) |
Islands | 1 |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Great Salt Plains Lake is a reservoir located within the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma in the United States named because of the salt flats in the area and for the Salt Fork Arkansas River, which is dammed to form the lake. It is notable for the variety of birds that are attracted to Ralstin Island (not open to the public) and also for the selenite crystals that can be collected along the shoreline. Recent droughts, most notably that of 2011, have had an adverse effect on the future of the lake.