Buffalo Lake

• T30N R31E, Sec. 26, 27, 34, 35

• Elevation 2402 ft. msl. (732 m msl)

• Surface area 540 acres (218.6 ha)

• Maximum depth 121 ft. (36.9 m)

• Volume 33,700 acre-feet (41,552,100 m3)

• Watershed-Columbia River Terraces

Buffalo Lake is located approximately nine miles northeast of Coulee Dam in Okanogan County in the Columbia River Terraces watershed. The lake is located between rolling hills and there are some outcropping of basalt along the shore. The lake is fed by an unnamed tributary. Buffalo Lake is a closed lake with no outlet. Therefore it is characterized by extreme water level change caused by seasonal changes in precipitation-evaporation ratios as well as annual changes in climate. Vegetation around the lake is mostly bunchgrass and sagebrush with scattered groves of ponderosa pine. Much of the land around the lake is grazed.

Buffalo Lake was invaded by Eurasian milfoil (macrophytes) approximately 20 years ago. The Eurasian milfoil has been a dominant member of the shallower zone aquatic plants until recent years in which a decline in numbers appears to be occuring.

Buffalo Lake is a popular fishery containing warm and cold water species. Rainbow trout and kokanee are the most popular among anglers. Largemouth bass, pumkinseed, black crappie, bridgelip suckers, and brook trout also inhabit the lake. The following link contains a results summary of the 2003 Buffalo Lake fishery sampling period.