Gavins Point Dam

Gavins Point Dam

The power house and concrete section of the dam
Location of Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota
Country United States
Location Yankton County, South Dakota / Cedar County, Nebraska, near Yankton, South Dakota
Coordinates 42°51′43″N 97°29′06″W / 42.86194°N 97.48500°W / 42.86194; -97.48500Coordinates: 42°51′43″N 97°29′06″W / 42.86194°N 97.48500°W / 42.86194; -97.48500
Status Operational
Construction began 1952
Opening date 1957
Owner(s) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Embankment, rolled-earth and chalk-fill
Impounds Missouri River
Height 74 ft (23 m)
Length 8,700 ft (2,652 m)
Width (crest) 35 ft (11 m)
Width (base) 850 ft (259 m)
Dam volume 7,000,000 cu yd (5,351,884 m3)
Reservoir
Creates Lewis and Clark Lake
Total capacity 492,000 acre·ft (606,873,064 m3)
Catchment area 279,480 sq mi (723,850 km2)
Surface area 31,400 acres (12,700 ha)
Max. length 25 mi (40 km)
Max. water depth 45 ft (14 m)
Power station
Turbines 3 x 44 MW
Installed capacity 132 MW
Annual generation 727 million KWh[1]
Tom Brokaw greeting the 20,000th visitor to the dam in 1958. Brokaw was a tour guide at the dam.
The dam releasing a record 150,000 cubic feet per second (4,200 m3/s) of water on June 14, 2011 as a result of the 2011 Missouri River Floods. The release was more than twice the previous record set in 1997.[2]

Gavins Point Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Nebraska and South Dakota. Built from 1952 to 1957, it impounds Lewis and Clark Lake. The dam is on the Nebraska-South Dakota border, west of Yankton, South Dakota. During the 2011 Missouri River Flood the dam was damaged by debris and a significant portion of rocks were dislodged from its upstream side. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers soon began repairs the dam and its spillway gates. Pressure sensors were also installed in concrete portion of the dam.[3]

Gavins Point Dam is the lowermost dam on the Missouri, and was built as part of the Pick-Sloan Plan. The dam area (with Lewis and Clark Lake) is a very popular regional tourist destination.[4] The next dam upstream is the Fort Randall Dam.

The stretch of the Missouri immediately downstream of Gavins Point Dam is the only significant section of non-channelized meandering stream on the lower portion of the river. This federally designated Wild and Scenic River is among the last free-flowing stretches of the Missouri; it exhibits the islands, bars, chutes, and snags that once characterized the "Mighty Mo".

The dam has a hydroelectric plant with three generators, each having a nameplate capacity of 44,099 kW, for a total of 132.297 MW.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Summary of Engineering Data – Missouri River Main Stem System" (PDF). Missouri River Division. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. August 2010. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
  2. ↑ http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/06/01/record-precipitation-reservoir-releases-cause-missouri-river-flooding/
  3. ↑ "Crews repair Gavins Point Dam from 2011 flooding". Black Hills Pioneer. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "Gavins Point Dam". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2006-05-10.
  5. ↑ "Gavins Point Dam & Powerplant". United States Army Corps of Engineers. 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2009-01-27.

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