Nestled in the Green Hills Region of North Central Missouri, about 5 miles north of Milan in Sullivan County, the proposed East Locust Creek Reservoir will play an important role in meeting the water supply needs for a ten county region. As part of the East Locust Creek Watershed plan, it will provide the benefits of trapping sediment and reducing flood damage in the East Locust Creek Floodplain. In addition, it will provide a valuable recreational facility, with a 2,350 acres surface water area, multiple public access areas, boat ramps, a marina and almost 2,000 acres of vegetated buffer for the enjoyment of the public . While land has been reserved for public access areas, and road improvements have been conceptually considered, the details will be worked out through an engineering and public input process (subject to funding availability) and likely in collaboration with state agencies.

Conceptual Plan

The conceptual plan was used to guide the planned acquisition of public access property near the lake.   The plan was drafted in 2010 and will be updated based on final land acquisition, funding availability and further public input and design.

Flyover Video

The Fly Over Video shows the lake bed as it exists today, with information on the proposed project.

Water Allocation Plan

The proposed water allocation display shows how the model allocates the lake water between the main project purposes.

The reservoir was sized using the Natural Resources Conservation Service RESOP model which calculates the water balance in the reservoir given various hydrologic inputs (rainfall, evaporation, land types, etc) and storage requirements (sediment storage, water to maintain the health of the lake during droughts, drinking water, water to keep the stream below the dam healthy, etc). To make sure that there is sufficient water during dry periods, a design drought that mimics the multi-year drought of the 1950s is built into the model.

  • 2,352 Acre Water Supply Reservoir

  • 1,900+ Acres of vegetated buffer and public use area
  • 54,000 Acre Feet of water at normal pool
  • Capacity to provide 7 million gallons a day of raw water for human use
  • 82 Miles of Shoreline
  • 28th Largest Lake in the State (Similar in size to Long Branch Lake)