Lake Leavitt, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Leavitt |
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 Lake Leavitt
Location in California
Lake Leavitt
Location in the United States
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| Location | Lassen County, California |
| Coordinates | 40°21′59″N 120°30′45″W / 40.3663123°N 120.5124407°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Catchment area | 5,200 acres (2,100 ha) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 9,500 ft (2,900 m) |
| Water volume | 1,142 acre⋅ft (1,409,000 m3) |
| Surface elevation | 4,101 ft (1,250 m) |
Lake Leavitt is a man-made lake, also called a reservoir. It is located in Lassen County, California, in the United States. This lake was created by the Lake Leavitt Dam, which was finished in 1889. It holds about 1,142 acres (462 hectares) of water.
Lake Leavitt is an important part of the local water system. It helps store storm water from the Susan River. This water is then used for irrigation in the Honey Lake Valley. The Lassen Irrigation Company manages Lake Leavitt. They also manage two other nearby reservoirs: McCoy Flat and Hog Flat.
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Lake Leavitt Dam
Building the Dam
The Lake Leavitt Dam was first built by Benjamin H. Leavitt. He started with a smaller reservoir. This reservoir was made much bigger in 1891. Benjamin's son, Victor E. Perry, also helped with the dam's construction.
There is a story about how Victor encouraged the workers. He supposedly planted a gold nugget at the lake. When it was found, he told the workers that any gold they discovered was theirs to keep. This made the workers very excited. They worked extra hard and for longer hours, hoping to find their own gold!
Dam Facts and Figures
The Lake Leavitt Dam is an earth dam. This means it is made mostly of soil and rock. The Lassen Irrigation Company built and manages it.
The dam is very long, stretching about 8,800 feet (2,682 meters). It stands about 17 feet (5.2 meters) above the water. The dam is also 12 feet (3.7 meters) wide. The top of the dam is 4,101 feet (1,250 meters) above sea level. The reservoir can hold about 7,482 acre-feet of water. It collects water from a drainage area of 9.3 square miles.
Leavitt Lake Community Services
The Leavitt Lake Community Service District helps people living near Leavitt Lake. This area is a suburb of Susanville, within Lassen County. The district provides sewer services to the community. They are responsible for keeping the sewer pipes working. This service helps fewer than 1,000 people. They manage about 2.5 miles of pipes. These pipes range from 6 to 10 inches in size.
Leavitt Lake Ranches and the Environment
Other groups in the area also work to protect the environment. One such group is the Leavitt Lake Ranches. The Wood family, who own Leavitt Lake Ranches, received an award in 2009. They won the environmental stewardship award at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference.
The Wood family grew their ranch slowly over time. This allowed their cattle to live alongside endangered species in the area. They worked with other groups, like The Nature Conservancy. Together, they created a plan to restore vernal pools. Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands that are important habitats. This plan helped increase the living spaces for threatened animals. These animals include waterfowl, mule deer, and pronghorn antelope. Other systems were also put in place. These systems helped reduce soil erosion. They also allowed for testing the nutrition of livestock.
