OAHE DAM

Upper Lake Oahe (Reservoir), between Cannon Ball, North Dakota, and Pollock, South Dakota, as seen from space, October 1985. South is at the top of the photo.

The 'Oahe Dam' is a large man-made dam along the Missouri River, just north of Pierre, South Dakota in the United States. It creates 'Lake Oahe', the 4th largest man-made reservoir in the United States, which stretches 231 miles (372 km) up the course of the Missouri to Bismarck, North Dakota. The dam's powerplant provides electricity for much of the north-central United States. It is named for the Oahe Indian Mission established among the Lakota Sioux in 1874.

Contents
History
Statistics
Tours
Native American Displacement
External links
References
See also

History


In September and October of 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through what is now Lake Oahe while exploring the Missouri River.
Oahe Dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944, and construction by the United States Army Corps of Engineers began in 1948. It was officially dedicated by President John F. Kennedy on August 17, 1962, in which year it began generating power.

Statistics


The lower Oahe Reservoir and Oahe Dam are near the bottom of this view; Lake Sharpe and Big Bend Dam are near the top, as seen from space, August, 1989. Pierre, South Dakota is near the bottom of the photo; Chamberlain, South Dakota is near the top. South-east is at the top.


★ Dam height: 245 feet (75 m)

★ Dam volume of earth fill: 92,000,000 cubic yards (70,000,000 m³)

★ Dam volume of concrete: 1,122,000 cubic yards (858,000,000 m³)

★ Spillway width: 456 feet (139 m)

★ Spillway crest elevation: 1,596.5 feet (487 m)

★ Lake maximum depth: 205 ft (62 m)

★ Water speed through dam: 11 mph (5 m/s)

★ Number of turbines: 7

★ Power generated per turbine: 112,290 kW

★ reservoir storage capacity: 2.35 million acre-feet (29 km³).

★ States served with electricity: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Montana

★ Number of recreation areas around lake: 51

★ Shore length: 2,250 miles (3620 km)
.

Tours


Tours of the powerplant are given daily Memorial Day through Labor Day. Tours start at the Visitor Center, with check in at 9:30 a.m, 1:00 p.m, and 3:30 p.m. Plan an hour and a half per tour, and bring a photo ID. Groups of 10 or more should call to schedule a tour. Tours in the off-season by special appointment only. For large groups and off-season tours, please call (605) 224-5862.

Native American Displacement


As a result of the dam's construction the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation lost 150,000 acres (610 km²) bringing it down to today. Standing Rock Reservation lost leaving it with . Over and above the land loss, most of the reservations' prime agriculture land was included in the loss. The loss of this land had a dramatic effect on the Indians who lived on the reservations. One visitor to the reservations later asked why there were so few older Indians on the reservations, and was told that "the old people had died of heartache" after the construction of the dam and the loss of the reservations' land.

External links



Oahe Dam and Lake Oahe, A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering page

Boat ramp conditions

★ Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Community Environmental Profile [1]

★ Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Community Environmental Profile [2]


References



★ Lawson, Michael L. Dammed Indians : the Pick-Sloan Plan and the Missouri River Sioux, 1944-1980. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1982. ISBN 0-8061-2672-8

★ Lazarus, Edward. Black Hills, White Justice : The Sioux Nation Versus the United States, 1775 to the Present. New York: Harper Collins, 1991. ISBN 0-06-016557-X.

Cornell University site

See also



Garrison Dam

List of reservoirs and dams in the United States

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