Every Lake
Lake Tapps
Formed in 1911 when Puget Sound Power & Light diverted the White River to fill four sloughs.
- 11 ft · first step
- 23 ft
- 34 ft
- 45 ft
- 56 ft
- 68 ft · bottom
About Lake Tapps
Lake Tapps sits in Pierce County, Washington, between Bonney Lake, Sumner, and Auburn. It did not exist as a single body of water before 1911, when the Puget Sound Power & Light Company diverted flow from the White River through a canal and flume system to fill four natural sloughs and generate hydroelectric power at a downstream plant in Dieringer. The diversion joined the sloughs into one reservoir, and White River water passed through the lake on its way to the powerhouse before returning to the river.
By the early 2000s, Puget Sound Energy no longer needed the reservoir for power generation and moved to end the diversion, which threatened to drain the lake. In 2009, the Cascade Water Alliance bought the water rights and lake bed from the utility to keep Lake Tapps filled as a water source and recreation site. The shoreline is lined with single-family homes and cabins built up over decades, and the lake has long been used for water skiing, fishing, and boating by residents of the surrounding Puget Sound suburbs.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 476 roads engraved around the shore, 4 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Lake Tapps depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Tapps depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 11 ft, 23 ft, 34 ft, 45 ft, 56 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 68 ft. The lake covers about 3.3 square miles, and 476 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Lake Tapps map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Lake Tapps for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Lake Tapps.
Lake Tapps map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Lake Tapps; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Tapps is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 68 ft
- 3.3 square miles of water
- 476 shore roads engraved, 4 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
