Shelley Lake

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Shelley Lake
Shelley Lake (Spokane Valley, Washington; aerial photo looking northeast; 2023-03-27).jpg
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Shelley Lake
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Shelley Lake
Location Spokane Valley, WA, United States
Coordinates 47°39′05″N117°11′06″W / 47.6515°N 117.1850°W / 47.6515; -117.1850
Lake type open lake
Primary inflows Saltese Creek
Primary outflows Spokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer
Basin  countriesUnited States
Max. length1,600 feet (490 m)
Max. width1,300 feet (400 m)
Max. depth15 feet (4.6 m)
Surface elevation2,008 feet (612 m)
Settlements Spokane Valley

Shelley Lake is a small lake located entirely in the city of Spokane Valley, in the U.S. state of Washington. The lake is surrounded on three sides by the 248 lot gated community of Shelley Lake Estates. [1] The lake is kept full by Saltese Creek, which is supplied by drainage canals from the Saltese Flats. [2] Although an open lake, there are no above-ground outflows.

Contents

Geography

Shelley Lake is located in the Veradale area of the city of Spokane Valley approximately one-half mile south of Sprague Avenue, the main east–west surface street in the Valley. The lake is located on the relatively flat floor of the Spokane Valley, just below hills which rise to the south into the uplands which comprise most of the lake's drainage basin. [3] [4] The lake itself is located at 2,008 feet above sea level. [5]

Saltese Creek flows into Shelley Lake from the southeast and drains a mostly suburban, exurban, agricultural and rural area from the Saltese Flats to the Saltese Uplands and the northwest face of Mica Peak above that. [4] The area immediately surrounding the lake is of a suburban nature, with most of the shoreline occupied by the Shelley Lake Estates gated community. [1] The eastern shore is dominated by a hillside that is a separate private property. Public access to the lake through Shelley Lake Estates is limited to residents and their guests. [6] Shelley Lake has no natural surface outlet, with water instead leaving the lake through evaporation or as groundwater recharge into the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. [4]

See also

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Saltese Creek is an approximately 9 mi (14 km) long stream in Spokane County, Washington, United States. Originally only 3.5 miles (5.6 km), the lower 5.5 miles (8.9 km) of the stream, along with around 10 mi (16 km) of drainage canals were dug to drain Saltese Lake. The stream now functions as one of two primary inflows, as well as the primary outflow for the Saltese Flats. The stream has its headwaters near the summit of Mica Peak and terminates at Shelley Lake, which was created as a result of draining Saltese Lake.

The Holiday Hills are a series of mostly treeless, loam hills in Spokane County, Washington, in the foothills of the Selkirk Range. The portion of the hills immediately to the east of the adjacent Saltese Flats are known as the Saltese Uplands.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Welcome to Shelley Lake Estates!". Shelley Lake Estates Homeowners Association. Retrieved 2016-09-05.
  2. "What Happened to Saltese Lake?". Spokane County . Retrieved 2016-09-05.
  3. "Greenacres Quadrangle". usgs.gov. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Saltese Flats Wetland Restoration Project Background". spokanecounty.org. Spokane County. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  5. "Shelley Lake Summary Report". nationalmap.gov. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  6. "Frequently Asked Questions". shelleylake.org. Shelley Lake Estates. Retrieved 14 June 2024.