Imperial Reservoir, reservoir on the Colorado River in California and Arizona, United States
Imperial Reservoir is a man-made lake created when the Imperial Diversion Dam was built across the Colorado River. It spans about 11 square miles in the lower Colorado River Valley along the California-Arizona border, storing water diverted from the river for farms, towns, and power generation.
The dam was built decades ago to control the Colorado River's flow and prevent flooding. Since then it has served as a key part of water management in the dry Southwest, allowing farmers and towns to access stored water supplies during dry seasons.
Several campgrounds operated by the Bureau of Land Management line the shores and tend to be quiet and remote. The desert setting means weather is sunny year-round but becomes very hot during summer months.
The reservoir connects to a larger system of lakes including Lake Havasu and Lake Mead, circulating water across vast distances. This interconnected system shows how different water storage points work together to manage scarcity across the dry Southwest.
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