Crowley Lake
| Crowley Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mono County, California |
| Coordinates | 37°37′2.46″N 118°44′22.92″W / 37.6173500°N 118.7397000°W |
| Lake type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Owens River |
| Primary outflows | Owens River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Built | 1941 |
| Max. length | 12 mi (19 km) |
| Max. width | 5 mi (8.0 km) at widest point |
| Surface area | 5,300 acres (21 km2) |
| Average depth | 40 ft (12 m) |
| Max. depth | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Shore length1 | 45 mi (72 km) |
| Surface elevation | 6,781 ft (2,067 m) |
| Website | Official website |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Crowley Lake is a reservoir on the upper Owens River in southern Mono County, California, in the United States. Crowley Lake is 15 mi (24 km) south of Mammoth Lakes.
The lake was created in 1941 by the building of the Long Valley Dam by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP), as storage for the Los Angeles Aqueduct and for flood control. The dam is 126 ft (38 m) high and impounds 183,465 acre⋅ft (0.226301 km3). For more on the history of the lake, see Owens Lake.
It is known for its trout fishing. Between 6,000 and 10,000 anglers hit the lake on opening day. Crowley Lake Fish Camp, run in cooperation with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, is the only way to access the lake, and visitors can rent boats, book camping sites, and buy supplies at the Fish Camp.
The lake is named after Fr. John J. Crowley, "the desert Padre", who was a key figure in Owens Valley history and a local hero. When it became obvious that the city of Los Angeles's appropriation of the water supply had made agriculture impossible in the Owens Valley, many of the residents of the Valley lost all hope. Father Crowley traveled the Valley, convincing many of them that it could become a tourist destination; however, he was critical of where the dam was to be located. Father Crowley was killed in 1940 in an automobile accident.