The Prineville Reservoir is located in the high desert hills of Central Oregon, Oregon, United States. The reservoir is on the Crooked River located 14mi southeast of Prineville, OR, and 29mi east of Bend, Oregon. This reservoir is a popular retreat for most of Central Oregon. It is located near the geographic center of Oregon, and Prineville Reservoir State Park is managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.Prineville Reservoir was created by damming, via the Arthur R. Bowman Dam, the Crooked River upstream from Prineville, Oregon. The reservoir is part of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Crooked River Project, flooding a juniper and sagebrush filled canyon, and was finished in 1961. The dam and reservoir are owned by the Bureau of Reclamation, and operated under contract by Ochoco Irrigation District. Prineville Reservoir covers 18mi of the Crooked River and is primarily an irrigation storage water body, with secondary objectives of Crooked River flood control and public recreation. Prineville Reservoir has a maximum depth of 130ft and storage of just over of water.The northeast end of Prineville Reservoir is a designated wildlife management area; these 3800acre of both land and water provide a refuge for wildlife.
