science

Lake Springfield (Missouri)

Lake Springfield (Missouri) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lake Springfield (Missouri) rather than just read about it. In short: Lake Springfield is a 318-acre (129 ha) artificial cooling lake in Springfield, Missouri, United States, that was created for the James River Power Plant. It was built by placing a dam on the James River.

Key takeaways

Lake Springfield (Missouri) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lake Springfield (Missouri) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lake Springfield (Missouri) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lake Springfield is a 318-acre (129 ha) artificial cooling lake in Springfield, Missouri, United States, that was created for the James River Power Plant. It was built by placing a dam on the James River. It now serves as a popular fishing and recreation area. It is one of two sizeable fishing lakes near the city of Springfield, the other is Fellows Lake.

History

Lake Springfield was created in 1957 with the construction of a dam on the James River. The city of Springfield purchased the land before it was submerged. It cost $11.1 million to buy the land and build the dam to create the lake and first two units of the power station. The lake was to be a cooling reservoir for the James River Power plant. Construction on the first two units of the power plant was started in 1957. Three more units were added to the power plant by 1970. Water from the lake was used to cool the steam generators. The city used the creation of the lake to create a large recreational area because the area was in close proximity to the city and the area had previously been used by the public for 75 years. The generators were originally constructed to burn natural gas but the federal Fuel Use Act of 1978 forced it to switch to coal. In the 1990s, the Missouri Department of Conservation partnered with City Utilities of Springfield to create a boat ramp, fishing dock, and several fishing platforms and lake accesses. The generator units had a life expectancy of 30 years. In 2015, the power plant was slated to be shut down. The original three generators had already been removed from service to reduce costs. The remaining generator burned natural gas until its closure. The remaining units were demolished in 2022.

Recreation The lake contains largemouth bass, white crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, and channel catfish. It is a popular fishing destination for residents of Springfield. Springfield City Utilities limits the size of motor boats to 6-HP because the lake is shallow and large boats would stir up silt. There is a waterfront park with kayaks for rent, fishing docks and fishing jetties.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lake Springfield (Missouri)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lake Springfield (Missouri) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lake Springfield (Missouri) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lake Springfield (Missouri) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lake Springfield (Missouri)

In research: Lake Springfield (Missouri) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lake Springfield (Missouri) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lake Springfield (Missouri) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bodies of water of Greene County, Missouri, Bodies of water of the Ozarks, Cooling ponds, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lake Springfield (Missouri) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lake Springfield (Missouri) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lake Springfield (Missouri) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lake Springfield (Missouri) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lake Springfield (Missouri) in simple terms?

Why does Lake Springfield (Missouri) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lake Springfield (Missouri)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lake Springfield (Missouri).