Late in August 2026, the Metolius, Crooked, and Deschutes carried three temperatures toward Lake Billy Chinook. The spring-fed Metolius ran coldest — near 48 degrees. Behind Round Butte Dam, cold water sinks beneath warm, and a submerged 273-foot tower chooses which layer continues downstream. The court-described plan gave the tower a seasonal script: surface water alone through June, then an increasing bottom share until October 1. The lake is a decision remade each year. A 2016 Clean Water Act suit ended without a surviving merits ruling: a 2018 win for the utility and its tribal co-owner was vacated, and sovereign immunity required dismissal. Above the dam, the three arms matter too. Anglers catch kokanee in all three. Nowhere else in Oregon may they keep a bull trout — one fish, twenty-four inches minimum — and the Metolius Arm requires a tribal angling permit. Loons winter on water that rarely freezes. A June 2026 algae precaution for the Crooked and Deschutes arms remained active in August.
curator · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
The facts
- Surface area 12.5 km² usgs-3dhp · lake-level · as of Jun 2, 2026
- Nearest town Culver · 13.8 km osm-overpass · lake-level · as of Jun 2, 2026
- Bird species (within 25 mi) 181 ebird-api-v2 · lake-level · as of Jun 2, 2026
- Bird diversity index 0.74 ebird-api-v2 · lake-level · as of Jun 2, 2026
- Median home value $406,800 census-acs-2024-b25077 · block-group-level · as of Jun 2, 2026
- Water clarity Moderate curator · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
- Night sky Darkest skies viirs-black-marble-vnp46a4 · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
- Surroundings Rural — open country, few close neighbors curator · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
- Water origin Reservoir curator · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
In more detail
- Climate
- four-season; cool winters (~36°F mean), warm summers (~70°F); ~10 in precip/yr noaa-normals-1991-2020-descriptor · lake-level · as of Jun 2, 2026
- Public access
- Public access is substantial. The Cove Palisades State Park (Deschutes and Crooked River arms) operates three day-use areas each with a boat ramp, courtesy dock, and unguarded swim beach, plus a marina. On the Metolius Arm, the Forest Service's Perry South Campground provides a separate public boat launch. A day-use parking permit is required at the state park. Fees/permits: Day-use parking permit required at Cove Palisades State Park (daily permit from an on-site fee machine, or annual/24-month permits purchased online at store.oregonstateparks.org or at park offices); no day-use fee identified for the Perry South (USFS) boat launch beyond standard Forest Service site rules.. Sources: stateparks.oregon.gov (fetched 2026-07-12); fs.usda.gov (fetched 2026-07-12). curated-web-harvest · lake-level · as of Jul 12, 2026
- Dogs and pets
- high — 5 dog parks within 25 mi (OSM); state rule: Oregon state parks require pets to be under physical control on a leash no more than six feet long at all times, except in park-manager-designated off-leash areas; pets are prohibited on beaches adjacent to designated swimming areas. (OAR 736-010-0030 (Domestic Animals) — general Oregon State Parks rule, fetched 2026-07-12); curated positive exception: The Cove Palisades State Park has a fenced off-leash pet exercise area in Deschutes Campground. curated-web-harvest · lake-level · as of Jul 12, 2026
- Property tax
- 0.69% ACS effective-rate proxy (2024 ACS 5-year; Jefferson County anchor: $2,591 median real-estate taxes paid ÷ $374,200 median owner-occupied home value; Oregon proxy 0.81%, -0.12 percentage points). census-acs-2024-property-tax · county-level · as of Dec 31, 2024
Where it’s heading
Stable hand-rated for v0.1 · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
Stable by the mini-pass criterion — modest county-level growth with no shoreline-pressure evidence: Jefferson County 24,502 (2020) → 25,740 (2025 estimate), about +5.1%, trailing Deschutes County next door (+7.5%, 198,253 → 213,072; Census via the harvest); Culver 1,357 → 1,602 between the 2010 and 2020 censuses; Crooked River Ranch, the 4,912-person HOA at the lake's south end, is the real neighbor. County ACS 2024 5-yr median owner-occupied value $374,200 (sheet block group $406,800), household income $76,260, 12.5% moved in the past year. Hedges: no price-trajectory series was fetched (Census API empty; Zillow/Redfin not attempted) and no permit or STR data exists on the sheet — the shoreline is state park, PGE campgrounds and the reservation, not a building front. Upgrade to rising only if a Three Rivers / Crooked River Ranch price series (curator-read) shows it.