Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox dam Fort Randall Dam is a Template:Convert earthen dam which spans the Missouri River and impounds Lake Francis Case, the 11th-largest reservoir in the U.S.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The dam joins Gregory and Charles Mix counties, South Dakota, a distance of 880 river miles (1,416 km) upstream of St. Louis, Missouri, where the river joins the Mississippi River. The dam and hydroelectric power plant were constructed by and are currentlyTemplate:As of? operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
History and backgroundEdit
Fort Randall Dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944 and plays a key role in the Pick–Sloan Plan for development of water resources in the Missouri River basin. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction of the dam in 1946, and was the first Pick–Sloan dam completed by the Omaha District. President Dwight D. Eisenhower threw the switch that started the first power generating unit in 1954. When completed in 1956, Fort Randall Dam and the Lake Francis Case Project cost approximately $200 million. U.S. Route 18 and U.S. Route 281 cross the crest of the dam. The dam is just over Template:Cvt north of the Nebraska state line.
The Fort Randall Dam is located within sight of its namesake Fort Randall, an early U.S. Army Frontier Post. Fort Randall Dam is one of six Missouri River mainstem dams; the next dam upstream is Big Bend Dam, near Ft. Thompson, and the next dam downstream is Gavins Point Dam, near Yankton.
A significant birding site, the Fort Randall Eagle Roost, is located near the dam. The Eagle Roost was listed as a National Natural Landmark in 1967, shortly after completion of the dam.<ref name="NPS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The eagles that roost here may use the dam's spillway to catch and eat fish.
Hydroelectric PowerEdit
The eight generating units of the Fort Randall Dam are capable of generating 40 megawatts of electricity each, with an annual production of 1.727 billion kilowatt-hours.<ref name="mainstem-system">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The combined maximum capacity of 320 megawatts is enough to supply 245,000 households, according to the Corps of Engineers. The river behind the dam drains an area of Template:Cvt. Its reservoir, Lake Francis Case, has a surface area of Template:Cvt at maximum operating pool, coinciding with a volume of Template:Convert.
2011 Missouri River floodEdit
In June 2011, in response to the 2011 Missouri River Floods, the dam was releasing over Template:Cvt, which greatly exceeded its previous record release of Template:Cvt set in 1997.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>
Visitor CenterEdit
The Fort Randall Visitor Center is located on the western edge of Pickstown, South Dakota, along U.S. Highway 281 and 18.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, the visitor center offers a view of the Dam, Lake Francis Case, and the Missouri River. Exhibits highlight the dam's construction, area, natural and cultural history, and paleontology. There is also a freshwater aquarium with fish species found in the Missouri River.
See alsoEdit
- Lake Francis Case
- Missouri National Recreational River
- Pick–Sloan Missouri Basin Program
- Pickstown, South Dakota
- List of crossings of the Missouri River
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Template:Commons category-inline
- Fort Randall Dam & Lake Francis Case - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
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