Potholes Reservoir (O'Sullivan Reservoir)

View on Full Map View Surveys (1) View Sources (8)

Grebe Survey Summary

  • Max Adults: 1270
  • Year: 1991
  • Most Recent Adults: presumably ~500
  • Year: 2012
  • Survey Type: N/A
  • Most Common Threats Reported: Water level too low; wind/wave inundation; egg predation; human/development/boat disturbance; destruction by fish; nest abandonment; various/unspecified/unknown threats
Lake name:
Potholes Reservoir (O'Sullivan Reservoir)
Location:
Washington
HydroLAKE ID:
8580
GRanD ID:
329
Latitude:
46.982823
Longitude:
-119.264583
Surface area (km2):
60.7
Basin type:
reservoir
Dam completion date:
1948
Management agency:
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW); Bureau of Reclamation
Lake use:
flood control irrigation hydroelectricity navigation
Region associations:
Columbia Basin; Potholes Reservoir; Potholes State Park; Columbia National Wildlife Refuge
Comments:
Adjacent to Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir is named after the glacial depressions and sand dunes that comprise the landscape. It is large and shallow.

Surveys (1)

Survey Citation:
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. 2012. Annual Report .

  • Time period
    1990, 18 July 2012
  • Source
    State factsheet
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    Y
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults >1000 1270 1991
Most Recent Adults 101 to 500 presumably ~500 2012
Max Nests 501 to 1000 635 1991
Most Recent Nests 101 to 500 247 2012
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

Surveys in 1990, 1991, and 2011. Weekly in 2012 between 20 June to 18 July. In 2011, many nest failures due to water drop. In 2012, at least half of the 247 Western nests failed due to various threats.

Sources of Information

  • Messager, M. L., B. Lehner, G. Grill, I. Nedeva, and O. Schmitt. 2016. Estimating the volume and age of water stored in global lakes using a geo-statistical approach. Nature Communications 7:13603. Data is available at www.hydrosheds.org.; Lehner, B., C. Reidy Liermann, C. Revenga, C. Vorosmarty, B. Fekete, P. Crouzet, P. Doll, M. Endejan, K. Frenken, J. Magome, C. Nilsson, J.C. Robertson, R. Rodel, N. Sindorf, and D. Wisser. 2011. Global Reservoir and Dam Database, Version 1 (GRanDv1): Dams, Revision 01. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).
  • Lehner, B., C. Reidy Liermann, C. Revenga, C. Vorosmarty, B. Fekete, P. Crouzet, P. Doll, M. Endejan, K. Frenken, J. Magome, C. Nilsson, J.C. Robertson, R. Rodel, N. Sindorf, and D. Wisser. 2011. Global Reservoir and Dam Database, Version 1 (GRanDv1): Dams, Revision 01. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).
  • Potholes Reservoir Information
  • Potholes Reservoir Recreation
  • Potholes State Park
  • O'Sullivan Dam
  • Explore Important Bird Areas (IBA) Interactive Map
  • Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)