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Lake of the Ozarks
Aerial panorama of Lake of the Ozarks
Location	Benton, Camden, Miller, and Morgan Counties in Missouri
Coordinates	38°12′09″N 92°37′35″W / 38.20250°N 92.62639°W / 38.20250; -92.62639Coordinates: 38°12′09″N 92°37′35″W / 38.20250°N 92.62639°W / 38.20250; -92.62639
Type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Grandglaize Creek, Gravois Creek, Niangua River, Osage River
Primary outflows	Osage River
Catchment area	14,000 sq mi (36,300 km2)
Basin countries	United States
Managing agency	Ameren Missouri
Built	August 6, 1929 (1929-08-06)
First flooded	February 2, 1931 (1931-02-02)
Max. length	93 miles (150 km)[1]
Surface area	54,000 acres (220 km2)[2]
Max. depth	130 ft (40 m)[3]
Water volume	1,927,000 acre⋅ft (2.377×109 m3)[1]
Residence time	2-4 months
Shore length1	1,150 miles (1,850 km)
Surface elevation	659 ft (201 m)
Settlements	Camdenton, Lake Ozark, Laurie, Osage Beach, Sunrise Beach, Village of Four Seasons
References	[2][3][4]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake of the Ozarks is a large reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Extents of three smaller tributaries to the Osage are included in the impoundment: the Niangua River, Grandglaize Creek, and Gravois Creek. The lake has a surface area of 54,000 acres (220 km²) and 1,150 miles (1,850 km) of shoreline, and the main channel of the Osage Arm stretches 92 miles (148 km) from end to end. The total drainage area is over 14,000 square miles (36,000 km²). The lake's serpentine shape has earned it the nickname "The Magic Dragon", which has in turn inspired the names of local institutions such as The Magic Dragon Street Meet.^[5]

History

1945 aerial of Lake of the Ozarks, the "Missouri Dragon"

A hydro-electric power plant on the Osage River was first pursued by Kansas City developer Ralph Street in 1912. He put together the initial funding and began building roads, railroads, and infrastructure necessary to begin construction of the dam, with a plan to impound a much smaller lake. In the mid-1920s, Street’s funding dried up, and he abandoned the effort.^[6]

The lake was created by the construction of the 2,543-foot (775 m) long Bagnell Dam by the Union Electric Company of St. Louis, Missouri. The principal engineering firm was Stone and Webster. Construction began August 8, 1929, was completed in April 1931 and reached spillway elevation on May 20, 1931. During construction, the lake was referred to as Osage Reservoir or Lake Osage. The Missouri General Assembly officially named it Lake Benton after Senator Thomas Hart Benton. None of the names stuck, as it was popularly referred to by its location at the northern edge of the Ozarks. The electric generating station, however, is still referred to by the utility company as the "Osage Hydroelectric Plant."^[7] While some sources indicate that more than 20 towns, villages and settlements were permanently flooded to create the lake, subsequent research indicates that the actual number was closer to eight, while several other sites had been previously abandoned, were relocated to make way for the lake, or were on high enough ground that the creation of the lake didn't affect them.^[8]

At the time of construction, the Lake of the Ozarks was the largest man-made lake in the United States and one of the largest in the world. It was created to provide hydroelectric power for customers of Union Electric, but it quickly became a significant tourist destination for the Midwest. Most of its shoreline is privately owned, unlike many flood-control lakes in the region that were constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The relatively stable surface elevation has created ideal conditions for private development within a few feet of the shoreline. There are over 70,000 homes along the lake, many of which are vacation homes. Spectacular scenery characteristic of the Ozarks has also helped to transform the lake into a major resort area, and more than 5 million people visit annually.

In 2011, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) renewed the lease for the power plant operated by Ameren Missouri. In the process, FERC determined that numerous homes and structures were encroaching on utility land in violation of federal regulations. According to the Boston Globe, this issue "has triggered panic in the area's lakefront communities and led to a growing battle among regulators, a utility company, land attorneys, and the state's congressional delegation."
^[9]

Geography

The Lake of the Ozarks is located within the Ozark Mountains with the dam (Bagnell Dam) at 38°12′09″N 92°37′35″W / 38.20250°N 92.62639°W / 38.20250; -92.62639 at an elevation of 659 feet (201 m).^[4][10] It lies in central Missouri on the Salem Plateau of the Ozarks.^[11] The lake extends across four Missouri counties, from Benton County in the west through Camden County and Morgan County to Miller County in the east.^[12]

The reservoir is impounded at its northeastern end by Bagnell Dam, and the Osage River is both its primary inflow and outflow.^[12] Long and winding in shape, the lake consists of the main, 93-mile-long (150 km) Osage River channel as well as several arms, each fed by a different tributary.^[1][12] The southwestern arm is fed by the Niangua and Little Niangua Rivers,^[13] the southeastern arm by Grandglaize Creek,^[14] and the northern arm by several streams including Gravois Creek, Indian Creek, and Little Gravois Creek.^[15] Many smaller tributaries also drain into the lake, creating numerous small coves and indentations in its shore.^[13][14][15] As a result, the lake has approximately 1,150 miles (1,850 km) of shoreline.^[2]

U.S. Route 54 runs east-west across the reservoir's southwestern arm and then generally northeast-southwest along its eastern shoreline, crossing the southeastern arm at Osage Beach. Missouri Route 5 runs generally north-south along the lake's western shoreline, crossing the main channel at Hurricane Deck. Missouri Route 7 runs generally northwest-southeast to the lake's southwest, crossing the southwestern arm. Missouri Route 134 runs southeast from U.S. 54 north of Osage Beach to its southern terminus in Lake of the Ozarks State Park. In addition, a network of lettered, supplemental state routes provides access to various points along the lake shore.^[12]

Numerous settlements are located near or on the Lake of the Ozarks. The largest is Osage Beach which sits where the lake's southeastern arm joins the main channel. The second largest is the city of Camdenton, located on U.S. 54 a few miles east of the southwestern arm. Lake Ozark lies immediately north of Osage Beach and just south of Bagnell Dam. Other, smaller communities along or near the lake include (from east to west): Kaiser, Lakeside, Linn Creek, Village of Four Seasons, Rocky Mount, Sunrise Beach, Hurricane Deck, Gravois Mills, Laurie, and Lakeview Heights.^[12]

Hydrography

The Lake of the Ozarks has a storage capacity of approximately 1,927,000 acre feet (2.377×10⁹ m³).^[1] When filled to that volume, it has a surface elevation of 660 feet (200 m) and occupies a surface area of approximately 54,000 acres (220 km²).^[2][16] The lake rarely varies in surface elevation by more than 5 feet (1.5 m).^[16] As it was constructed for power generation, not flood control, the lake has only limited flood control capacity.^[1]

Due to its large volume and surface area, various sources identify the Lake of the Ozarks as either the largest reservoir in Missouri or the second-largest after Truman Reservoir.^[17][18][19]

Infrastructure

Bagnell Dam

In November 2018 the Lake Ozark Fire District acquired a $500,000 fireboat.^[20]

Bridges

Here is a list of historic bridges that were on the lake.

• 
  Grand Glaize Bridge — Replaced by two girder bridges.


• 
  Hurricane Deck Bridge — Replaced in 2014


• 
  Niangua Bridge — Replaced by a girder bridge.


• 
  Niangua Arm US 54 Bridge — Replaced by a girder bridge.

Management

Bagnell Dam is operated and maintained by Ameren Missouri, the successor of Union Electric, under the authority of a permit issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Ameren Missouri is also responsible for managing both the shoreline and water levels of the lake. All land surrounding the lake that is within the project boundary defined by the FERC is under the company's jurisdiction. Any improvements to the shoreline including docks, seawalls, and other structures require permission from Ameren Missouri prior to construction.^[21]

Tourism and recreation

Anderson Hollow Cove, informally known as Party Cove, in 2007.

Parks

During the process of land acquisition for the lake during the 1920s, 17,500 acres (71 km²) of land were set aside for a national park along the Grand Glaize Arm of the lake. In 1946, this land was acquired by the State of Missouri for Lake of the Ozarks State Park, the largest State Park in Missouri. Lake of the Ozarks State Park is home to Party Cove, a rowdy gathering spot that a New York Times writer called the "oldest established permanent floating bacchanal in the country."^[22] The Missouri State Water Patrol has estimated that the cove attracts up to 3,000 boats during the Fourth of July weekend.^[22]

Another state park on the shores of the lake is Ha Ha Tonka State Park on the Niangua Arm of the lake.

Media

Radio

Television

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lake of the Ozarks.

• 
  Lake of the Ozarks travel guide from Wikivoyage


• 
  Lake of the Ozarks, Ameren Missouri


• 
  Lake of the Ozarks, Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau


• 
  Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Missouri Department of Natural Resources


• 
  Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Missouri Department of Natural Resources