Arkabutla Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arkabutla Lake |
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Arkabutla Lake
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 Arkabutla Lake
Location in Mississippi
Arkabutla Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | DeSoto / Tate counties, Mississippi, United States |
| Coordinates | 34°45′42″N 090°07′20″W / 34.76167°N 90.12222°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Coldwater River |
| Primary outflows | Coldwater River |
| Basin countries | United States |
Arkabutla Lake is a large reservoir in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It was created when the Arkabutla Dam was built in 1940. This dam is located on the Coldwater River.
The dam is about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the small town of Arkabutla. Arkabutla Lake is one of four important lakes in northern Mississippi. These lakes help to prevent floods. The other lakes are Sardis, Enid, and Grenada lakes.
Many people visit Arkabutla Lake each year, with over 2 million visitors. They enjoy many different activities all year round. The Arkabutla Lake area includes about 57,250 acres (231.7 km²) of land and water. The dam itself is 11,500 feet (3,505 m) long and about 67 feet (20 m) high. A large part of the land, about 37,700 acres (152.6 km²), is open for public hunting.
History of Arkabutla Lake
After many big floods in the 1800s and early 1900s, stopping floods became very important. The worst flood happened in 1927, known as the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. This disaster led to a big plan to control floods along the Mississippi River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers became the main group to plan and build these flood control projects. The U.S. Congress helped by passing the Flood Control Act of 1937. This law made it possible to build these projects.
Engineers found that the rivers flowing into the Yazoo River caused much of the flooding in the Mississippi Delta area. To fix this, four flood control lakes were built in north Mississippi. This was part of a bigger plan called the Yazoo Basin Headwater Project. Arkabutla Dam was the second dam built, finished in 1940 on the Coldwater River.
In 1942, the U.S. Government moved the town of Coldwater. About 700 people and their homes were moved. This cost about $250,000. The new town is about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the old site. Today, a monument stands near Interstate 55 to remember the old town. The old town was flooded when the lake was created. Most of the old town is still underwater.
The Yazoo Headwater Project helps protect a lot of land from flooding. It protects about 1,209,000 acres (4,893 km²) completely. It also partly protects another 303,000 acres (1,226 km²). This project has reduced flooding around cities like Greenwood and Yazoo City. This means more land can be used for farming and businesses. This has helped the region's economy and created more jobs for families.
Fish in Arkabutla Lake
Arkabutla Lake is home to many kinds of fish. Some of the main fish you can find here include:
- Largemouth bass
- Smallmouth bass
- Spotted bass
- Blue catfish
- Black crappie
- White crappie
- Bluegill
- Green sunfish
- Longear sunfish
- Redear sunfish
- Warmouth
- White bass
Arkabutla Lake in Movies
Arkabutla Lake was an inspiration for a movie! The movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) was set in 1937. In the movie, a valley is flooded to create a fictional "Arktabutta Reservoir." This fictional reservoir is based on Arkabutla Lake.
A newspaper in the movie shows a headline about the "T.V.A." (which stands for Tennessee Valley Authority) planning to flood the "Arktabutta Valley." One of the characters, Everett McGill, said he buried treasure in a cabin in that valley.
See Also
