Keystone Lake is about in area, and was designed to contain of water. It was named for the community of Keystone, which existed on the site from 1900 until 1962, when it was inundated by the waters of the lake. Construction of the lake forced the relocation of three other towns: Mannford, Oklahoma, Prue, and Appalachia Bay, Oklahoma. The town of Osage was partially abandoned to the lake, while the rest clings to the south shore. Engineers built a levee around low-lying areas of the south and east sides of Cleveland, Oklahoma to prevent flooding of that city. The shoreline extends for. Two Oklahoma state parks, Keystone State Park and Walnut Creek State Park, are located along the shores of the lake offering camping, hiking and biking trails, fishing, swimming and boating opportunities. The area also features a Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort as you cross the Keystone Dam near Sand Springs. The Keystone Lake project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1950. It was designed and built by the Tulsa District, Army Corps of Engineers. Construction began in January 1957 and was complete for flood control purposes in September 1964. Commercial operation of the power generating facility began in May 1968. A reregulating dam, located downstream of the main dam, was also completed in 1968. Cost of the total project was approximately $123 million. In 1986, the reregulating dam was removed due to public safety issues, as 16 people had drowned at the dam.
Dam construction details
The dam was actually constructed across the Arkansas River, downstream of the confluence with the Cimarron River. It is built of rolled earthfill material. Maximum height of the dam is above the stream bed. The total length of the dam is, including a -long concrete section. The spillway in the concrete section is wide. The non-overflow part of the concrete section includes a power intake structure. State Highway 151 crosses the dam, connecting State Highway 51 on the south with U.S. Highway 64 on the north. The spillway is a gated ogee weir, wide with eighteen tainter gates, each. Spillway capacity at the maximum pool level is. Capacity at the top of the flood control pool level is. The spillway also has nine sluices, each. The power intake structure is between the spillway and the left non-overflow section of the dam. It includes two penstocks, each diameter and controlled by two gates. The power generation facility includes two hydroelectric generators, each rated at.
Largest release in service
In September and October 1986, Keystone Lake was filled to capacity when the remnants of Hurricane Paine entered Oklahoma and dropped nearly of water into the Cimmaron and Arkansas rivers northwest of the lake, requiring the Corps of Engineers to release water downstream at a rate of , which made downstream flooding inevitable. As a result, a private levee in West Tulsa failed, causing more than $1.3 million in damages.
Recreation
According to the Corps of Engineers website, Keystone Lake has 16 recreational areas, 11 boat ramps, 4 marinas and 2 off-road vehicle areas. There are also campgrounds, a waterfowl refuge and a public hunting area. Keystone State Park nearby offers cabins. Fishing is popular, with the most plentiful species being striped bass, white bass, black bass, small mouth bass, crappie, and catfish. Fauna around the lake include: white-tailed deer, raccoon, bobcat, coyote, beaver, squirrel, cottontail rabbit, quail, dove, ducks and geese. Hunting and fishing licenses are regulated by Oklahoma and Federal laws.
