Ross Barnett Reservoir | |
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![]() July sunset at the Ross Barnett Reservoir, showing the public fishing pier on Spillway Road. | |
Location | Madison and Rankin counties, Mississippi, U.S. |
Coordinates | 32°27′26″N 90°01′04″W / 32.4571°N 90.0179°W |
Lake type | Reservoir |
Primary inflows | Pearl River |
Primary outflows | Pearl River |
Basin countries | United States |
Max. length | 16 mi (26 km) |
Max. width | 7 mi (11 km) |
Surface area | 52 sq mi (134.7 km2) |
Average depth | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
Max. depth | 60 ft (18.3 m) |
Shore length1 | 105 mi (169 km) |
Surface elevation | 300 ft (90 m)[1] |
Settlements | Jackson Flowood Brandon Ridgeland Madison Gluckstadt Canton |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
The Ross Barnett Reservoir, often called the Rez, is a reservoir of the Pearl River between Madison and Rankin counties in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The 33,000-acre (130 km2) lake serves as the state's largest drinking water resource, and is managed by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. The lake features 105 miles (169 km) of shoreline impounded on the south by a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) man-made dam and spillway. The western shore is bounded by the historic Natchez Trace Parkway.[2]