| Potholes Reservoir | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view from the north (2009). Moses Lake is at lower left and the Potholes Reservoir at center. | |
  Potholes Reservoir  Potholes Reservoir | |
| Location | Grant County, Washington, United States |
| Coordinates | 46°58′57″N 119°17′28″W / 46.98250°N 119.29111°W[1] |
| Lake type | Reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Average depth | 18 feet (5.5 m)[2] |
| Max. depth | 142 feet (43 m)[2] |
| Surface elevation | 1,043 feet (318 m)[1] |
| References | [1] |
The Potholes Reservoir is part of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. It is formed by the O'Sullivan Dam and located in central Washington, in the United States. The reservoir is fed by water from Moses Lake, part of the Crab Creek basin.
The area features several lakes (typically 30-70 yards wide and 10–30 feet deep). These lakes, known as "potholes" were created through both natural and man made processes. The potholes were initially carved out during the Pleistocene by flood waters originating from Glacial Lake Missoula.[3] Subsequent damming of the area by the Columbia Basin Project raised the water table high enough to allow these topographical depressions to become lakes.
- ^ a b c "Potholes Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
- ^ a b "Potholes Reservoir Research Management Plan" (PDF).
- ^ Alt, David; Hundman, Donald W. (1995). Northwest Exposures: A Geologic History of the Northwest. Missoula, Mont.: Mountain Press. ISBN 0-87842-323-0. OL 800810M.