| Potholes State Park is a 640-acre camping park with 6,000 feet of freshwater shoreline on Potholes Reservoir (also known as O'Sullivan Reservoir). Potholes Reservoir is often confused with the Pothole Lakes themselves, which are a 30- to 45-minute drive from the park. The terrain is desert with freshwater marshes. Potholes State Park is situated on the reservoir created by construction of O'Sullivan Dam rather than the nearby "potholes geologic formations" for which it is named. Thousands are attracted to the Potholes desert area each year to enjoy fishing, hunting, bird watching, water sports and the sunshine. This desert area is unique because of its abundance of water. The area is comprised of sand dunes, rocky canyons and dozens of lakes. The Columbia Wildlife Refuge two miles east of the park is a favorite for wildlife viewing and bird watching. Four boat ramps and 100 feet of dock are provided by the park. Water levels in O'Sullivan Reservoir (Potholes Reservoir) fluctuate dramatically from spring to fall. O'Sullivan Reservoir (Potholes Reservoir) was formed as a result of two major events, one natural and one man-made. Huge depressions (30 to 70 yards wide and 10 to 60 feet deep) were made in the earth during the Pleistocene flooding. Those depressions were filled with water (making "pothole" lakes) when the water table rose in the 1950s with the creation of O'Sullivan Dam. The dam was part of a project by the Bureau of Reclamation to provide irrigation water to farmers. |
|
