Lake Hudson, also known as Markham Ferry Reservoir, is a man-made reservoir in Mayes County, Oklahoma, about 2 miles (3.2Â km) northwest of Locust Grove, Oklahoma and 8 miles (13Â km) southeast of Pryor, Oklahoma. It was created by the completion of the Robert S. Kerr dam on the Grand River in 1964. It is managed by the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA).
HistoryEdit
GRDA began construction of the Markham Ferry Dam in December 1961. This was the second of GRDA's hydroelectric projects along the Grand River. The first was Pensacola Dam, which created Grand Lake o' the Cherokees. The Markham Ferry project was completed in April 1964.
Robert S. Kerr Dam structureEdit
The Robert S. Kerr Dam structure is a concrete gravity and earth filled embankment with a concrete ogee weir spillway. The length is 4,494 feet (1,370Â m), including the powerhouse,and the height is about 90 feet (27Â m) above the stream bed. The spillway has seventeen gates, each 40 by 37 feet (12 by 11Â m), operated by two traveling gate hoists. Its capacity is 609,000 cubic feet (17,200Â m3) per second.
Lake descriptionEdit
The lake has a surface area of 12,000 acres (49Â km2), a shoreline of 200 miles (320Â km), and the average elevation of the surface is 619 feet (189Â m) above sea level. The normal storage capacity is 200,300 acre feet (247,100,000Â m3).
Power generationEdit
The powerhouse has four hydroelectric turbines, providing a total capacity of 114,000Â kW. GRDA states that an average year can provide 211 million kWh.
Lake Hudson also is the water source for the nearby Salina Pumped Storage Project.
Snowdale State ParkEdit
Snowdale State Park is located on Lake Hudson in Eastern Oklahoma. It is also called Snowdale Area at Grand Lake State Park. A variety of water sports are permitted. Other recreational activities are camping, hiking, swimming and volleyball. It is popular for bass, catfish, perch and crappie fishing. Facilities include a lighted boat ramp, swimming beach, playground, volleyball court, picnic tables, a group picnic shelter and a comfort station with showers. The park offers 17 RV sites with water and electric hookups and 20 tent sites. The campgrounds and restrooms are closed for the winter.
The park is about 1 mile (1.6Â km) west of Salina on SH 20. It is 15 acres (6.1Â ha) in area and was built in 1959.