Lake Havasu is a 45-mile long body of water that is fed by the Colorado River and forms a liquid border between California and Arizona. The literal meaning of Havasu is “blue water” which became true once a series of dams quieted the silt-filled bottom floor and allowed the lagoon blue to rise and give birth to a billion dollar recreational industry.
The main stem of the Colorado River comes from the Rocky Mountains and flows southwesterly approximately 1,400 miles, terminating in the Gulf of California at the Sea of Cortez. It is considered the first really wild river to be reigned in with a dam (Hoover Dam, 1935) and is the main drain basin for all of Arizona’s rivers.
Lake Havasu was created by the making of Parker Dam in 1938, which sits at the south end near the Bill William National Wildlife Refuge. It impounds over 200 billion gallons of water and was paid for by the Metropolitan Water District of California for the purpose of routing water to Southern California via a great aqueduct. The aqueduct is visible to onlookers on the Southwest hillside near the dam where millions of gallons of water are pumped daily through huge pipes and delivered hundreds of miles for agricultural purposes.
Water from Lake Havasu is also pumped to Southeast Phoenix and Tucson through the Central Arizona Project (also visible at the base of the lake on the south).
Prior to the lake being formed there were a couple of towns that dotted the rivers edge that served mostly miners. Liverpool Landing, which is closer to Lake Havasu City, is actually under water, and a few of the buildings are still intact and visited by recreational divers. There is also Aubrey Landing, which was only a post office at the southern end located at the Bill Williams River, also under water.
Divers claim there are all kinds of relics such as a few shipwrecks, relics of mining camps like wagon wheels, picks, and carts still strewn about. And there are rumors of a downed World War II P-40 fighter and a few farmhouses that some people are still looking for.
Lake Havasu has many miles of inlets and coves suitable for fishing, mooring and picnicking, and the open water has plenty of room for personal water craft, skiing, air chair stunts and other recreational fun such as parasailing. One of the more popular spots on the lake is Copper Canyon, known for its magnificent red rock formations, blue green water and party atmosphere.
The mouth of Lake Havasu (on the north end) also has the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, which has numerous inlets and coves and has suitable areas for kayaking, canoeing and fishing.
Thanks to the Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club, the lake has been dotted with several navigational lights to aid in the safety of boaters who use the lake. They are replicas of authentic lighthouses from the East and West Coast and the Great Lakes area. Most of them can be seen around the Island and the Bridgewater Channel. | 
