Elvis Presley Lake in Northern Lee County is scheduled to get a new owner this summer. Legislation was passed earlier this year to allow the Tombigbee River Valley Management District to transfer the 800-acre park to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. The water management district turned the operation of Presley Lake over to Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks this past fall. Legislation was passed and signed into law by Gov. Ronnie Musgrove during the 2002 session allowing the water management district to cede the property to Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. The transfer is scheduled to take place this summer when both governing boards officially approve the change in ownership.
Elvis Presley Lake, located northeast of Tupelo, was created as a recreation and flood control structure in the 1960s. The operation of the park through the years has passed back and forth from Tupelo city government to the Lee County government - and other entities, such as the Tombigbee River Water Management District.