Beaver Lake (Arkansas) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beaver Lake |
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 Beaver Lake
Location in Arkansas
Beaver Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Ozark Mountains, Benton / Carroll / Washington County, Arkansas / United States |
| Coordinates | 36°25′16.62″N 93°50′51.42″W / 36.4212833°N 93.8476167°W |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary outflows | White River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 50 mi (80 km) |
| Surface area | 31,700 acres (12,800 ha) |
| Shore length1 | 483 mi (777 km) |
| Surface elevation | 1,120 ft (340 m) |
| Settlements | Rogers, Arkansas Eureka Springs, Arkansas |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Beaver Lake is a large, man-made lake located in the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas. It was created by building a dam across the White River. The lake has about 487 miles (784 km) of shoreline, which is a very long way!
Beaver Lake is known for its tall limestone cliffs, cool natural caves, and many different kinds of trees and colorful flowering shrubs. Because of its natural beauty, it is a very popular place for tourists to visit.
This important lake is also the main source of drinking water for over 450,000 people in Northwest Arkansas. The Beaver Water District manages, treats, and sells this water. In fact, about one out of every seven people in Arkansas gets their drinking water from Beaver Lake.
Contents
Beaver Dam: How the Lake Was Made
The idea for Beaver Dam was approved by the government in 1944. The United States Army Corps of Engineers built the dam between 1960 and 1966. This project blocked a big part of the White River, creating Beaver Lake. Building the lake also flooded an old resort town called Monte Ne.
The dam is located about 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Work on the powerhouse, which generates electricity, started in 1963. It began making power in May 1965 and still does today. The whole project cost about $60 million at that time.
Beaver Lake is about 50 miles (80 km) long and covers an area of about 31,700 acres (128 km²). It has about 483 miles (777 km) of shoreline. The lake's surface is about 1,120 feet (341 m) above sea level. This dam is also the first in a series of dams that help keep the White River cold, which is good for fishing.
Fun Things to Do at Beaver Lake
The Army Corps of Engineers has built many places for people to have fun around Beaver Lake. There are paved roads leading to twelve developed parks. These parks offer modern campsites with electricity, fire rings, drinking water, showers, and restrooms.
Other fun things you can do at the parks include:
There are 12 recreation areas with 677 campsites. You can also find 7 full-service marinas with 1,750 boat slips for rent. Many fishing tournaments, including 8 national bass tournaments, are held here each year. About 3.1 million people visit Beaver Lake every year!
The Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area is the only State Park in Benton County, Arkansas. It used to be known as the Beaver Lake State Park.
Where is Beaver Lake?
Most of Beaver Lake is located in Benton County. The dam itself is in the western part of Carroll County. Some parts of the lake also reach into Washington County and Madison County.
U.S. Route 62 is a major road that runs along the north and west sides of Beaver Lake.
Making Electricity with Water Power
The power plant at Beaver Dam uses two large turbines to make electricity. Each turbine can produce 56 megawatts of power. The total amount of electricity generated is huge, about 6,347,345 megawatt-hours (MWh). The money earned from selling this power goes back to the U.S. federal government to help pay for the dam.
One of the power-generating units was offline for repairs since 2016. Both units are currently being fixed and improved by a company called Andritz Hydro Corp. They are expected to be back online by November 7, 2023.
Controlling Floods
Beaver Lake is the first of several lakes on the White River that help control floods. It holds back floodwaters before they can reach other areas, like Table Rock Lake. In 2007 alone, Beaver Lake prevented an estimated $1.3 million in flood damage. Since it was built, Beaver Lake is estimated to have prevented $52.5 billion in damages from floods.
