[3][1] The lake is located approximately 15 miles from the city of Leavenworth, Washington and sits on the southeast corner of the Icicle Creek subbasin.

[1]: 9  The State Supervisor of Hydraulics issued Permit Number 828 in January 1927 for the requested amount.

The Department of Public Lands approved this request in a 1927 order that allowed the irrigation district to inundate lakeshores on the lake.

[1]: 32 Colchuck Lake sits in a basin consisting of rocky soils and igneous tonalite geology.

This infrastructure allows for controlled releases of stored water to supplement flows into Icicle Creek through its outflowing tributaries and increase the water supply available during low flow periods, which typically occur during the late summer.

[8] On August 11, 2017 lightning caused by a cold frontal passage that tracked through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness started a fire about 15 miles southwest of Leavenworth, Washington.