Lake Isabel (Colorado)

Lake Isabel is a reservoir located in the San Isabel National Forest in Pueblo and Custer counties, in Colorado, United States. The lake is in the Wet Mountains.[3] The lake is open to fishing year round and is regularly stocked by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Available activities include fishing, hiking, camping and sledding in the winter.[4]

Lake Isabel
The lake and spillway in 2018.
Lake Isabel is located in Colorado
Lake Isabel
Lake Isabel
Location in Colorado
LocationPueblo County and Custer County, Colorado
Coordinates37°59′05″N 105°03′09″W / 37.9847°N 105.0526°W / 37.9847; -105.0526
Typereservoir
Primary inflowsSaint Charles River
Primary outflowsSaint Charles River, evaporation
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area35.7 acres (14.4 ha)[1]
Water volume969.8 acre-feet (1,196,200 cubic meters)[1]
Surface elevation2,585 meters (8,481 feet)[2]
FrozenThe lake freezes in winter and ice-fishing is possible.

The community of San Isabel lies on the north side of the lake, in Custer County. The border between Pueblo and Custer counties runs north–south through the east side of the lake, such that most of the dam is in Pueblo County (on the east side), and most of the reservoir itself is in Custer County (on the west side).

History

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The earthen dam and reservoir were built in the 1930s to store water for the CF&I Steel plant in Pueblo.[1] Now the lake and the area surrounding it are managed by the United States Forest Service as the Lake Isabel Recreation Area.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ferrari, Ronald L. (2012-11-01). "Lake Isabel 2012 Reservoir Survey, Technical report ; no. SRH-2013-07" (PDF). U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Technical Service Center. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  2. ^ "Lake Isabel". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ "Lake Isabel, San Isabel National Forest - Wet Mountains area". Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  4. ^ "College of Humanities and Social Sciences | College of Humanities and Social Sciences | CSU-Pueblo". Retrieved December 1, 2014.[dead link]
  5. ^ "La Vista Campground, Lake Isabel, Colorado". Recreation.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-08.