Foss Reservoir, also known as Foss Lake, is in Custer County, Oklahoma on the Washita River, about west of Clinton, Oklahoma. The reservoir was constructed during 1958–1961 by the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation. The project was known originally as the Washita Basin Project. The lake and dam were named for the community of Foss, Oklahoma, about south of the site. Their primary purpose is to regulate flow of the river and to provide water for the cities of Bessie, Clinton, Cordell and Hobart. It is western Oklahoma's largest lake"Foss Lake, Oklahoma." Retrieved July 2, 2013. and lies entirely within Foss State Park.
Description The reservoir has a surface area of and a shoreline of ."Leisure and Sports Review (LASR):Foss Lake, OK." Retrieved July 2, 2013. The capacity of the reservoir is . The reservoir serves a catchment area of . The reservoir has a mean depth of and a maximum depth of .
Foss Dam Dam construction began in October, 1958. The dam is high, wide (at the crest) and long.
Foss State Park Foss State Park encompasses of land and contains 8 campgrounds, swimming beach, 6 boat ramps, a playground, its marina and restaurant were removed in 2025. It also has of equestrian and multi-use trails. Foss State Park is often mentioned as a target for sale or closure to help close the state's current budget deficit. Already the state has sold a herd of bison as "surplus property." The bison had recently been moved into Foss State Park from another location in western Oklahoma."Herd of bison from Foss State Park up for auction on state’s surplus website." KOCO 5 News. May 9, 2018. (Video) Accessed July 18, 2018.
Water treatment The water quality in Lake Foss is extremely hard. The Bureau of Reclamation built one of the first electrodialysis plants in the United States to process the water before it is delivered to users. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality constructed a new, updated plant to replace the original in 2002.Wayne Boothe, "Foss." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Retrieved July 2, 2013. The new plant, built by Ionics, Inc., would also increase production of potable water for its municipal customers from 3 million to 4.5 million U.S. gallons per day."Oklahoma reservoir expands water desalination facility with Ionics." Water & Wastes Digest. November 6, 2002. Accessed July 17, 2018.
Water is transported from the dam to consumers via three pumping stations and of aqueducts.
Cold cases involving cars found in the lake In September, 2013 two cars, believed to have been submerged since 1969 and 1970, were found at the bottom of Foss Reservoir by Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers testing new sonar equipment. The cars, a 1952 Chevrolet and a blue 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, each contained three sets of skeletal human remains. They were suspected to be linked to two separate, long-open cold cases from 1969, in the case of the older car, and 1970, in the case of the Camaro.Cold, wet cases: Oklahoma troopers stumble on six bodies in two cars at bottom of lake - Retrieved September 18, 2013 In October 2014 it was announced that both cases were ruled accidental. The 1969 case involved three adults and the 1970 case involved three teenagers.
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