Riffe Lake
| Riffe Lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Riffe Lake | |
| Location | Lewis County, Washington, United States |
| Coordinates | 46°32′4″N 122°25′43″W / 46.53444°N 122.42861°WCoordinates: 46°32′4″N 122°25′43″W / 46.53444°N 122.42861°W[1] |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Cowlitz River |
| Primary outflows | Cowlitz River |
| Catchment area | 1,400 sq mi (3,630 km2)[2] |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 23.5 mi (37.8 km)[2] |
| Surface area | 11,830 acres (47.9 km2)[3] |
| Max. depth | 360 feet (110 m) |
| Shore length1 | 52 mi (83.7 km)[2] |
| Surface elevation | 778.5 ft (237 m)[2] |
| References | [1][2][3] |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Riffe Lake is a 23.5 mi (38 km) long reservoir on the Cowlitz River in the U.S. state of Washington. It was created in 1968 with the construction of Mossyrock Dam by Tacoma City Light (now Tacoma Power).[2] Originally named Mossyrock Lake, then later as Davisson Lake after a utilities commissioner in Tacoma, the lake was renamed in 1976 after the community of Riffe, which was inundated by the lake.[4][5] The residents of Kosmos and Nesika were also relocated as the lake's water level would submerge much of the town.[5]
The lake contains species of fish including rainbow and brown trout, landlocked coho, bass both large mouth and small mouth, bluegill, crappie, and perch.[4]
In 2017, Tacoma Power lowered the maximum water level of the lake by 30 feet (9.1 m) due to concerns that the Mossyrock Dam could fail during a major seismic event and cause catastrophic flooding.[6]
Gallery[]
 Riffe Lake as seen from the peak of Dog Mountain |
 Riffe Lake as seen from the west side of Dog Mountain |
 Panoramic view of Riffe Lake as seen from the peak of Dog Mountain |
See also[]
- List of lakes in Washington
References[]
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Riffe Lake
- ^ a b c d e f Cowlitz River Project Statistics, Tacoma Power
- ^ a b Cowlitz River Project Mossyrock Dam, Tacoma Power
- ^ a b "Riffe Lake". wdfw.wa.gov. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
- ^ a b Mittge, Brian (June 12, 2015). "Underwater Towns of the Cowlitz River: A Look Back at Kosmos, Nesika and Riffe". The Chronicle. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Rubin, Will (May 3, 2019). "Tacoma Power Updates Mossyrock Residents On Riffe Lake Levels". The Chronicle. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
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- Lakes of Lewis County, Washington
- Reservoirs in Washington (state)
- Buildings and structures in Lewis County, Washington
- Protected areas of Lewis County, Washington
- Tacoma Public Utilities
- Washington (state) geography stubs