Loon
Lake is located on U S Highway 395 almost
midway between the cities of Spokane and Colville. Spokane
is 30 miles south of the lake and Colville 40 miles north.
It is located at the top of the divide between the Spokane
River and the Colville River watersheds. At one time the
overflow high water from Loon Lake actually flowed toward
the Spokane River.
The lake is
approximately 2 square miles (1100 acres) in surface area, with approximately 7.9 miles of shoreline.
It is one of the largest lakes in Stevens County and has
been established as a "lake of statewide significance" by
the Department of Ecology.
The lake is located in a relatively small,
closed drainage basin of approximately 12 square miles (7500
acres) with only intermittent streams that stop flowing in
the summer months.
During the 1950s there was a bitter dispute
over the lake water level. After much dispute, angry words
and a few incidents, the issue was taken to court. The Stevens
County Superior Court on February 24, 1950, established the "maximum
water level at which the waters of Loon Lake is required
to be maintained. Court Order No.13367 established an elevation
of 2,381.25 feet and directed that "control of the waters
at said level shall be maintained by the Supervisor of Hydrolics
of the State of Washington." This agency is now in the Department
of Ecology. A channel was constructed in the north east corner
of the lake leading toward Sheep Creek. A control dam with
operable gates was constructed to adjust the water level.
Water is released through these gates to flow down Sheep
Creek.
The Department of Ecology was unable to monitor
the control gate and the system fell into disrepair. Beginning
in 1996 the Loon Lake Property Owners Association assumed
responsibility ( under direction of the Department of Ecology
) for the maintenance of the level control dam and the monitoring
of the lake level. Monitoring of the lake level is now conducted
by an employee of the Loon Lake Sewer District who reports
to DOE on a regular basis. A depth guage on the control dam
may be read easily from the side of the control channel.
The lake is essentially a pot hole, totally
dependent upon the watershed. Examination of local weather
data indicates that the average net evaporation for Loon
Lake from June through September is 31.6 inches. However,
lake level records show that average lake level drop for
this same period is only 14.2 inches. Where does the additional
17.4 inches of water come from? It comes from the watershed
aquifer. Much of the water in the lake comes via springs
in and around the lake.
This vital information about Loon Lake was
obtained from the Loon Lake Property Owners Association and
was originally provided by long time lake resident Walter
Davis who is a professional engineer and hydrologist. |