| Popis: |
Arcadia Lake is located within the metropolitan area of Oklahoma City and Edmund, in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, about 2.4 km (1.5 miles) southwest of Arcadia, Oklahoma (Figure 1). Construction of the earth-filled dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1970 and approved for construction by the Secretary of the Army for the purposes of flood control, water supply, and recreation. Construction was completed in 1986, and conservation pool was reached in 1989. The dam impounds a section of the Deep Fork River, with drainage coming principally from surrounding municipalities. The reservoir covers approximately 736 ha (1,820 acres) at an elevation of 307 m (1,006 ft) msl at conservation pool, with the top of its flood control pool at elevation 320 m (1049 ft) msl. The overall objective of the project was to begin restoration of spawning and nursery fishery habitat for the sunfish family (largemouth bass, crappie, and bluegill) lost from flood control operations. When initially impounded, flooded terrestrial structure provided good habitat for the sunfish fishery. As flood control operations were implemented, habitat structure (primarily flooded tress and brush) degraded, leaving the lake poorly suited for this fishery. The loss of structure also contributed to increases in turbidity, further affecting the sunfish fishery. The specific objectives of the project were to (a) evaluate the suitability of selected native emergent, floating leaved, and submersed aquatic species for establishment in the lake, (b) ascertain effective methods for establishing desirable aquatic plant species, and (c) establish founder colonies of aquatic plants in several areas of the lake. In addition to providing immediate nursery habitat for juvenile fish, these founder colonies were expected to provide propagules for natural spread to other areas of the lake. |
