Lake Francis Case | |
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Location | South Dakota, United States |
Coordinates | 43°03′35″N98°33′43″W / 43.05972°N 98.56194°W Coordinates: 43°03′35″N98°33′43″W / 43.05972°N 98.56194°W |
Type | Reservoir |
Primary inflows | Missouri River, White River |
Primary outflows | Missouri River |
Catchment area | 263,480 sq mi (682,400 km2) [1] |
Basin countries | United States |
Max. length | 107 mi (172 km) [1] |
Surface area | 102,000 acres (41,000 ha) [1] |
Max. depth | 140 ft (43 m) [1] |
Water volume | 5,700,000 acre⋅ft (7.0 km3) [1] |
Shore length1 | 540 mi (870 km) [1] |
Surface elevation | 1,355 ft (413 m) [2] |
Settlements | Pickstown, Oacoma, and Chamberlain |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Lake Francis Case is a large reservoir impounded by Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota, United States. The lake has an area of 102,000 acres (410 km2) and a maximum depth of 140 ft (43 m). [1] Lake Francis Case has a length of approximately 107 mi (172 km) and has a shoreline of 540 mi (870 km). [1] The lake is the eleventh-largest reservoir in the United States and is located within the counties of: Charles Mix, Gregory, Lyman, Brule, and Buffalo. The lake stretches from Pickstown, South Dakota upstream to Big Bend Dam.
The reservoir is named for former United States Senator Francis Higbee Case, of South Dakota. [3]
The Fort Randall Dam and concomitant reservoir were authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944 and built next to a historic 1856 military base: Fort Randall. The dam began construction by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1946, and in 1954, its operation was inaugurated by then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower. [4] The resulting reservoir, Lake Francis Case, flooded White Swan, a Native American settlement that had existed along the river. The population of the community was forced to move elsewhere, with many settling in Lake Andes, South Dakota. [5] Lake Andes, nevertheless, experiences flooding. [6]
Species of fish in the reservoir include walleye, northern pike, sauger, sunfish, yellow perch, common carp, black bullhead, channel catfish, and smallmouth bass. [7]
Big game animals around the lake include whitetail and mule deer, coyotes and wild turkeys. Waterfowl and upland game birds include ducks, geese, pheasants, prairie chickens, and grouse. The Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge is located just downstream of the lake, as a sanctuary for wintering bald eagles. Bald eagles are commonly spotted around the dam during winter months.
The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks (GFP) maintains several Lakeside Use Areas for lake access around the lake. In addition, the GFP operates seven State Recreation Areas on Lake Francis Case:
Several major highways cross Lake Francis Case. South Dakota Highway 44 crosses over the lake between rural Charles Mix County and Gregory County on the longest bridge in South Dakota, [16] and Interstate 90 crosses the reservoir between Chamberlain and Oacoma.
Lake Sakakawea is a large reservoir in the north central United States, impounded in 1953 by Garrison Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam located in the Missouri River basin in central North Dakota. Named for the Shoshone-Hidatsa woman Sakakawea, it is the largest man-made lake located entirely within the State of North Dakota, the second largest in the United States by area after Lake Oahe, and the third largest in the United States by volume, after Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
Garrison Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Missouri River in central North Dakota, U.S. Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1947 to 1953, at over 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, the dam is the fifth-largest earthen dam in the world. The reservoir impounded by the dam is Lake Sakakawea, which extends to Williston and the confluence with the Yellowstone River, near the Montana border.
Fort Randall Dam is a 2.03-mile-long (3 km) earthen dam which spans the Missouri River and impounds Lake Francis Case, the 11th-largest reservoir in the U.S. 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 currently operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Pick–Sloan Missouri Basin Program, formerly called the Missouri River Basin Project, was initially authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944, which approved the plan for the conservation, control, and use of water resources in the Missouri River Basin.
Big Bend Dam is a major embankment rolled-earth dam on the Missouri River in Central South Dakota, United States, creating Lake Sharpe. The dam was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Pick-Sloan Plan for Missouri watershed development authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944. Construction began in 1959 and the embankment was completed in July 1963. Power generation began at the facility in 1964 and the entire complex was completed in 1966 at a total cost of $107 million. The hydroelectric plant generates 493,300 kilowatts of electricity at maximum capacity, with an annual production of 969 million kilowatt hours, and meets peak-hour demand for power within the Missouri River Basin.
Lake Sharpe is a large reservoir impounded by Big Bend Dam on the Missouri River in central South Dakota, United States. The lake has an area of 56,884 acres (230.20 km2) and a maximum depth of 78 ft (24 m). Lake Sharpe is approximately 80 mi (130 km) long, with a shoreline of 200 mi (320 km). Lake Sharpe is the 54th largest reservoir in the United States. The lake starts near Ft. Thompson and stretches upstream to Oahe Dam, near Pierre. The lake is located within the following counties: Buffalo, Lyman, Hyde, Hughes, and Stanley. The Big Bend of the Missouri is about 7 miles (11 km) north of the dam.
Lake Oahe is a large reservoir behind Oahe Dam on the Missouri River; it begins in central South Dakota and continues north into North Dakota in the United States. The lake has an area of 370,000 acres (1,500 km2) and a maximum depth of 205 ft (62 m). By volume, it is the fourth-largest reservoir in the US. Lake Oahe has a length of approximately 231 mi (372 km) and has a shoreline of 2,250 mi (3,620 km). 51 recreation areas are located along Lake Oahe, and 1.5 million people visit the reservoir every year. The lake is named for the 1874 Oahe Indian Mission.
Lewis Andrew Pick was an American engineer who served as Chief of Engineers in the United States Army.
Gavins Point Dam is a 1.9 mi (3 km) long embankment rolled-earth and chalk-fill dam which spans the Missouri River and impounds Lewis and Clark Lake. The dam joins Cedar County, Nebraska with Yankton County, South Dakota a distance of 811.1 river miles (1,305 km) upstream of St. Louis, Missouri, where the river joins the Mississippi River. The dam and hydroelectric power plant were constructed as the Gavins Point Project from 1952 to 1957 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Pick-Sloan Plan. The dam is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) west or upstream of Yankton, South Dakota.
Lewis and Clark Lake is a 31,400 acre (130 km²) reservoir located on the border of the U.S. states of Nebraska and South Dakota on the Missouri River. The lake is approximately 25 miles (40 km) in length with over 90 miles (140 km) of shoreline and a maximum water depth of 45 feet (14 m). The lake is impounded by Gavins Point Dam and is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District.
The Missouri National Recreational River is a National Recreational River located on the border between Nebraska and South Dakota. The designation was first applied in 1978 to a 59-mile section of the Missouri River between Gavins Point Dam and Ponca State Park. In 1991, an additional 39-mile section between Fort Randall Dam and Niobrara, Nebraska, was added to the designation. These two stretches of the Missouri River are the only parts of the river between Montana and the mouth of the Missouri that remain undammed or unchannelized. The last 20 miles of the Niobrara River and 6 miles of Verdigre Creek were also added in 1991.
Pine Flat Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Sierra Nevada foothills of eastern Fresno County, California on the western north-south border to the Sierra- and Sequoia National Forests, about 30 mi (48 km) east of Fresno. The lake is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and is open to boaters, campers & hikers.
Cold Brook Dam is an earthen dam located near Hot Springs, South Dakota in Fall River County in the southwestern part of the state, in the southern Black Hills.
Lake Yankton, also called Cottonwood Lake, is an artificial lake that was originally part of the main channel of the Missouri River on the border of the U.S. States of Nebraska and South Dakota, near Yankton, South Dakota. The lake has an approximate surface area of 250 acres (100 ha) and has a maximum depth of 18 feet (5.5 m). The lake is located immediately downstream (east) of Gavins Point Dam and Lewis and Clark Lake, located just north of the current location of the main channel of the Missouri River.
The Salt Creek Dams, are a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water resource development project located in southeastern Nebraska near Lincoln, Nebraska, the state capitol. The project was authorized by the Federal Flood Control Act of 1958 to provide flood damage reduction, water quality, recreation, and fish and wildlife enhancement. The basin drains a 1645 square mile area of southeastern Nebraska, encompassing the City of Lincoln. Salt Creek enters the Platte River from the right bank 25 miles southwest of Omaha, Nebraska and drains the southern and western part of the basin, while Wahoo Creek drains the northeastern portion. The lakes are a part of the Missouri River basin.
Oahe Downstream Recreation Area is a state recreation area in Stanley County, South Dakota in the United States. The recreation area is named for being immediately downstream of the Oahe Dam and Lake Oahe, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam and reservoir. The recreation area is located along the Missouri River and is popular for camping, fishing and other water-based recreation. The area is located about 7 miles upstream of Pierre - the state capitol. The recreation area was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers following construction of Oahe Dam, and legislation passed by Congress transferred ownership of the recreation area to the State of South Dakota in 2002.
Snake Creek Recreation Area is a South Dakota state recreation area in Charles Mix County, South Dakota in the United States. The recreation area is 695 acres (281 ha) and lies along the shores of Lake Francis Case, a reservoir on the Missouri River. The area is open for year-round recreation including camping, swimming, fishing, hiking and boating. There are 115 campsites, 10 camper cabins, and a full-service marina. The recreation area is 14 miles (23 km) west of Platte.
Randall Creek Recreation Area is a South Dakota state recreation area in Gregory County, South Dakota in the United States. The recreation area is 184 acres (74 ha) and lies directly below Fort Randall Dam, along the banks of the Missouri River. The area is open for year-round recreation including camping, swimming, fishing, hiking and boating.
Platte Creek Recreation Area is a South Dakota state recreation area located on the eastern shore of Lake Francis Case, a Missouri River Reservoir in Gregory County, South Dakota in the United States. The recreation area is 252 acres (102 ha). The area is open for year-round recreation including camping, swimming, fishing, hiking and boating.