| Blue River Reservoir | |
| Location: | Lane County, Oregon, about 42miles east of Springfield |
| Coords: | 44.1719°N 122.3303°W |
| Type: | Reservoir |
| Inflow: | Blue River |
| Outflow: | Blue River |
| Catchment: | 88mi2 |
| Length: | 6.4miles |
| Area: | 935acres, 1420acres when full |
| Depth: | 91feet |
| Max-Depth: | 248feet |
| Volume: | 85000acre-feet[1] |
| Residence Time: | 3 months |
| Shore: | 17miles |
| Elevation: | 1350feet |
| Cities: | Blue River, an unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | Oregon#USA |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location of Blue River Reservoir in Oregon, USA. |
| Reference: | [2] [3] [4] |
Blue River Reservoir is an artificial impoundment, about 6miles long, of the Blue River in Lane County in the U.S. state of Oregon.[5] The reservoir is about 1miles north of Oregon Route 126 in the Willamette National Forest about 45miles east of Eugene.[1]
In 1968 the United States Army Corps of Engineers built Blue Lake Dam and Saddle Dam about 2miles from the mouth of the Blue River on the McKenzie River to create a reservoir for flood control and irrigation.[1] [6] Despite frequent blooms of blue-green algae,[7] [8] the lake is heavily used for recreation. Trout are the principal fish, supplemented from local hatcheries.
Blue River Reservoir is used for fishing, boating, swimming, and waterskiing.[1] The United States Forest Service manages Mona Campground, on the north side of the reservoir, and Lookout Campground, on the northeast side.[4] The Forest Service also manages two launching sites for motorized and non-motorized boats, one near Lookout Campground and the other near Saddle Dam on the south shore.[4] The reservoir supports populations of native coastal cutthroat trout and stocked rainbow trout.[2]