The lakes, found in 47 states, resulted from massive public works projects primarily from the 1950's through the 1970's. California leads the nation with 144 such lakes. Missouri has 32 and Illinois 31. In states adjourning Missouri, Kentucky has 59, Tennessee 49, Arkansas 38, Nebraska 31, Kansas 26 and Iowa 17, the report said. Many of the Lakes were built with adjacent campgrounds and beaches, but the commission found that restrooms, boat docks and roads are falling apart, the report said.
Pollution is a problem Many lakes are polluted, and sport fishing suffers because fish are dying.
Even where lakes have active tourism, managers face difficult tasks in balancing recreation and other lake uses. At Lake Mead near Las Vegas, the largest reservoir in North America at 180,000 acres, water levels can vary by as much as 50 feet depending on water demand, snow levels and diversions for flood-control storage. That means boat docks have to be moved in and out and rest rooms can end up under water. The commission has been authorized by Congress in 1999 to assess lake recreation and look at ways to improve it. It made recommendations to address the problems.