| San Carlos Lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
  San Carlos Lake | |
| Location | Gila / Graham / Pinal counties, Arizona, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°11′16″N 110°28′20″W / 33.18778°N 110.47222°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Gila River |
| Primary outflows | Gila River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Managing agency | San Carlos Apache Tribe Recreation & Wildlife Dept. |
| Max. length | 23 mi (37 km) |
| Max. width | 2 mi (3.2 km) |
| Surface area | 19,500 acres (7,900 ha) |
San Carlos Lake was formed by the construction of the Coolidge Dam and is rimmed by 158 miles (254 km) of shoreline. The lake is located within the 3,000-square-mile (7,800 km2) San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, and is thus subject to tribal regulations.
After it was built, the reservoir filled gradually. Because of irrigation needs, the water level at the lake sometimes is low enough to kill its self-sustaining fish, but during wet years, the water can overtop Coolidge Dam. Since construction of the dam, the lake has been nearly empty at least 20 times, and has been full only three times.[1]
When President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the new dam in 1930, Cherokee humorist Will Rogers looked at the grass in the lake bed, and said, "If this were my lake, I’d mow it."[2]
- ^ "San Carlos Lake, AZ". Leisure and Sports Review. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ^ "Arizona scenic drive: Globe to Safford". Arizona Republic. October 2, 2015. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2016.