Down dramatically from deep drought and downstream draws dictated by decree, the June 2012 water level of Lake McConaughy was near its lowest since the reservoir’s filling, soon following the dam’s 1941 completion. Though it would refill in just a couple of years, the low lake level allowed exploration of bed sediments flooded for decades, including these sandy shallows on a southern cove. Cottonwood trees often grow in Great Plains lake beds during times of extended drought, destined to be flooded and killed when water rises again; their skeletons frequently litter the coves and headwater wetlands.
6 NNE Ogallala NE (5 Jun 12) Looking NE
41.2053, -101.6931