Choctaw Lake was built by American Realty Service Corp owned and operated by Ed Wrenn in 1964 where Deer Creek and George’s Fork creeks met. American Realty built over 50 similar lakes in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois, such as Lake Waynoka, Lake Lorelei, Lakengren, Lake Seneca and Lake Mohawk to name a few. The lakes were built as impoundments of existing creeks with a focus placed on selling lake community lots. Generally, the lakes are relatively shallow with low flow characteristics.
Choctaw Lake is in the Deer Creek watershed, which is located in south central Ohio. Deer Creek flows into the Scioto River north of Chillicothe in Ross County. Choctaw Lake is the first stop for water in the Upper Deer Creek watershed. The source of the water is run-off and drainage from 15,616 acres of primarily farmland in Madison, Clark and Champaign Counties. As such, Choctaw acts as a settling pond for sediment suspended in this water. Most of the lake water enters the lake from Deer Creek (48% annual average) and George’s Fork Creek (12% annual average). The remaining 40% of the annual average water into the lake comes from direct impact and local run-off directed by drainage ditches and several small, short local streams. After passing through Choctaw, the water flows down Deer Creek to Madison Lake State Park, and then on down to Deer Creek State Park. The water eventually flows into the Scioto River and then the Ohio River.
Choctaw Lake covers about 285 acres, with all but 13 acres being on the north side of Old Columbus Road. The lake is relatively shallow, with 14 feet being the maximum depth in the pool area in front of the dam. The average lake depth calculates to about 7’ – 7”. The water is held back by an ODNR rated Class 1 dam, 925 feet long and 42 feet max. height. There are approximately 7.5 miles of shoreline around the lake.
(Source: Jim Swihart. “State of the Lake Report, Choctaw Lake.” November, 2015)