Moses Lake
title: "Moses Lake" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lakes-of-washington-(state)", "reservoirs-in-washington-(state)", "lakes-of-grant-county,-washington", "protected-areas-of-grant-county,-washington", "moses-lake,-washington"] topic_path: "general/lakes-of-washington-state" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Lake" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox body of water"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Moses Lake |
| image | Aerial view of Moses Lake & Potholes Reservoir, Washington 01A.jpg |
| caption | Aerial view from the north (2009). Moses Lake is at lower left and the Potholes Reservoir at center. |
| location | Grant County, Washington |
| coords | |
| type | natural lake, reservoir |
| inflow | |
| outflow | Potholes Reservoir (to Lower Crab Creek) |
| basin_countries | United States |
| area | 6800 acre |
| depth | 18 ft |
| max-depth | 38 ft |
| elevation | 1046 ft |
| pushpin_map | Washington#USA |
| pushpin_map_alt | Location of Moses Lake in Washington, USA. |
| reference | |
| :: |
| name = Moses Lake | image = Aerial view of Moses Lake & Potholes Reservoir, Washington 01A.jpg | caption = Aerial view from the north (2009). Moses Lake is at lower left and the Potholes Reservoir at center. | image_bathymetry = | caption_bathymetry = | location = Grant County, Washington | coords = | type = natural lake, reservoir | inflow = | outflow = Potholes Reservoir (to Lower Crab Creek) | catchment = | basin_countries = United States | length = | area = 6800 acre | depth = 18 ft | max-depth = 38 ft | residence_time = | shore = | elevation = 1046 ft | islands = | cities = | pushpin_map = Washington#USA | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = Location of Moses Lake in Washington, USA. | pushpin_map_caption = | website = | reference =
Moses Lake is a lake and reservoir along the course of Crab Creek, in the U.S. state of Washington.
Moses Lake is part of the Columbia River basin, as Crab Creek is a tributary of the Columbia River.
Although originally a shallow natural lake, Moses Lake was dammed in the early 20th century for irrigation purposes. It then became part of the Columbia Basin Project, built and managed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. Moses Lake receives water from Crab Creek, as well as from irrigated agricultural runoff. Its water used to flow out into Crab Creek, but now flows into Potholes Reservoir, a storage reservoir created by impounding Crab Creek at O'Sullivan Dam.
Moses Lake is fairly complex in shape, with several arms, called "horns". These horns include Lewis Horn, Parker Horn, and Pelican Horn. There are several islands in Moses Lake, including Crest Island, Marsh Island, Gaileys Island, and Goat Island.
Moses Lake was named after Chief Moses in the late 19th century. The city of Moses Lake was, in turn, named after the lake.
The city of Moses Lake was originally named Neppel, and was not changed to Moses Lake until 1938.
History of Moses Lake
Moses lake was named after Chief Moses, head of a local tribe variously called Kowalchina, The Sinkiuse, and The Colombias, whom used the lakes resources since childhood. For centuries the lake was utilized by indigenous peoples to collect waterfowl's eggs, which were abundant on Moses Lake. They remained unbothered for quite some time by white settlers, because the land surrounding the lake was too dry for farming, however by the 1880's white settlement had grown enough to disrupt tribes and drive them away. In 1910 a small community that called themselves "Neppel" formed, development of the community progressed slowly, until they built a dam and began to pump irrigation from the lake. Irrigation kickstarted growth of the community, first watering apple orchards, then potatoes, and later corn, onions, carrots, and sugar beets. Today the lake is still used for irrigation, as well as recreation.
Fish in Moses Lake
Moses lake is home to various freshwater fish, provided by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to be: Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Channel Catfish, Lake Whitefish, Common Carp, and Bluegill. The lake is especially abundant with Walleye, a fish often sought by fishers because they are known to be great for eating and have been recorded to often reach and exceed 10 pounds in Moses Lake . Additionally the lake offers year round fishing, and during the winter months when the lake freezes over ice fishing can be practiced. Although is it permitted to catch all fish year round, daily limits apply on amount and size of catch.
References
References
- (2010). "Sediment Loading from Crab Creek and Other Sources to Moses Lake, Washington, 2007 and 2008". United States Geological Survey.
- Meany, Edmond S.. (1923). "Origin of Washington geographic names". University of Washington Press.
- {{Gnis. 1506804. Moses Lake, [[United States Geological Survey. USGS]], [[Geographic Names Information System. GNIS]]
- "Moses Lake -- Thumbnail History".
- "Moses Lake -- Thumbnail History".
- "Moses Lake {{!}} Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife".
- wdfw. (2011-04-01). "Moses Lake Fishing Regulations".
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