Meadow Lakes was built by the City of Prineville as an answer to a wastewater problem. Facing fines over discharge into the Crooked River, and rather than build a mechanical treatment plant, the city decided on a golf course that would absorb the effluent. Construction began in May 1992, and both nines opened in summer 1993 on a design by Bill Robinson. Its ponds double as water hazards and treatment lagoons, and the city calls it a financial and environmental success.