Mann Lake Explained

Mann Lake
Coords:42.7722°N -118.4469°W
Inflow:Intermittent streams
Outflow:Evaporation
Catchment:41mi2
Basin Countries:United States
Area:276acres
Depth:6feet
Max-Depth:14feet
Volume:1600acre-feet
Shore:2.4miles
Elevation:4173feet
Cities:Burns
Pushpin Map:Oregon#USA
Pushpin Map Alt:Location of Mann Lake in Oregon, USA.
Reference:[1] [2] [3]

Mann Lake is the largest of the shallow playa lakes in the northern part of the Alvord Valley in Harney County in the U.S. state of Oregon. The lake is a remnant of a larger Pleistocene lake that covered much of the valley, east of Steens Mountain. Fields - Denio Road runs along the east side of the lake.[2]

Inflow to Mann Lake comes from small, intermittent streams, mainly from Steens Mountain. The lake, which has no outlet, but loses water by evaporation, is hypereutrophic. An influx of cattle waste from nearby rangelands adds to the lake's natural eutrophic state. Large concentrations of Cladophora algae are common.[2]

The Bureau of Land Management operates the Mann Lake Recreation Site, about 100miles southeast of Burns by highway and unpaved road. The site has vault restrooms and boat ramps, but no other amenities. Recreation at or near the site includes fishing, camping, hiking, wildlife viewing, and amateur geology.[4]

Mann Lake, stocked with Lahontan cutthroat trout, has been called "one of the premiere trout fisheries in southeast Oregon".[5] Trout in the lake range in length from 12inchesto20inchesin (toin).[5] Fishing is restricted to artificial flies and lures.[5]

A large population of goldfish, introduced illegally, have at times multiplied in Mann Lake and competed for food with the smaller trout.[5] In 2010, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife treated the lake with rotenone, a piscicide, killing around 200,000 goldfish and fathead minnows while sparing nearly all the trout.[6]

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Notes and References

  1. Book: Johnson, Daniel M.. Petersen, Richard R. . Lycan, D. Richard . Sweet, James W. . Neuhaus, Mark E., and Schaedel, Andrew L. . Atlas of Oregon Lakes. Oregon State University Press. Corvallis. 1985. 232. 0-87071-343-4.
  2. Web site: Atlas of Oregon Lakes: Mann Lake (Harney County) . Portland State University. 1985–2012. December 20, 2012.
  3. Web site: [{{gnis3|1123729}} Mann Lake ]. Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980 . December 20, 2012.
  4. Web site: Alvord Desert/Mann Lake. Bureau of Land Management. December 20, 2012.
  5. Book: Sheehan, Madelynne Diness. Fishing in Oregon: The Complete Oregon Fishing Guide. April 2005 . 10th. Flying Pencil Publications. Scappoose, Oregon. 282 - 83. 0-916473-15-5.
  6. News: Monroe . Bill . Mann Lake Gets a Second Round of Rotenone for Cutthroat Restoration . The Oregonian . Oregon Live LLC . December 3, 2010 . December 20, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140104204559/http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/bill_monroe/index.ssf/2010/12/mann_lake_gets_a_second_round.html . January 4, 2014 . dead .