Lake Lahontan (reservoir)

Lake Lahontan
Lake Lahontan Reservoir overflowing in May, 1973
Location of Lake Lahontan in Nevada, USA.
Location of Lake Lahontan in Nevada, USA.
Lake Lahontan
Location of Lake Lahontan in Nevada, USA.
Location of Lake Lahontan in Nevada, USA.
Lake Lahontan
LocationLyon / Churchill counties, Nevada
Coordinates39°24′06″N 119°06′49″W / 39.40167°N 119.11361°W / 39.40167; -119.11361
Lake typereservoir
Primary inflowsCarson River
Primary outflowsCarson River
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length17 mi (27 km)

Modern Lake Lahontan is a reservoir on the Carson River in northwest Nevada in the United States. It is formed by the Lahontan Dam, built in 1905 by the Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Newlands Reclamation Act and is located between Fallon, Nevada and Carson City, Nevada. The flows from the Carson River are augmented by the diversions from the Truckee River. The reservoir is maintained by the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District (TCID). The lake is named after ancient Lake Lahontan, which covered much of northwestern Nevada during the last ice age.

Lake Lahontan is 17 miles (27 km) long and has 69 miles (111 km) of shoreline. It consists of several lobes connected by narrow straits. When full, it has approximately 10,000 acres (40 km2) of surface area, although it is usually less than half full by late summer. As no water rights have been allocated for recreation, the TCID could completely drain the lake to supply its irrigation customers. Submerged beneath the water were parts of stagecoach routes which existed during the 1800s including Williams Station, the scene of the Battle of Williams Station, a minor skirmish during the Paiute War.

A small settlement called "Lahontan" once stood near the reservoir, which in 1940 the Federal Writers' Project reported had a population of 25.[1]

  1. ^ Federal Writers' Project (1941). Origin of Place Names: Nevada (PDF). W.P.A. p. 11.