McKay Reservoir

McKay Reservoir
Dusk on a south shore
McKay Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
LocationUmatilla County, Oregon
Coordinates45°36′19″N 118°47′54″W / 45.605408°N 118.798318°W / 45.605408; -118.798318
Typereservoir
Primary inflowsMcKay Creek
Primary outflowsMcKay Creek
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length2.2 miles (3.5 km)
Max. width0.5 miles (800 m)
Water volume65,534 acre⋅ft (80,835,000 m3)
Surface elevation1,240 feet (380 m)

McKay Reservoir is a reservoir in Umatilla County of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is an impoundment of McKay Creek, a tributary of the Umatilla River. The reservoir is located 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Pendleton on U.S. Route 395. The reservoir has a capacity of 65,534 acre-feet (80,835,000 m3) of water. The reservoir and land that immediately surrounds it are designated as the McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge. The reservoir and creek that it impounds are named for Dr. William C. McKay. McKay was an early settler in the Pendleton, Oregon area. He settled near the mouth of McKay Creek about 1851. The place was originally called Houtama. He died in Pendleton in 1893.