Medicine Creek Dam

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Medicine Creek Dam (National ID # NE01073) is a dam in Frontier County, Nebraska.

Medicine Creek Dam
Medicine Creek dam spillway from DS.JPG
Spillway structure at Medicine Creek Dam
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Location of Medicine Creek Dam in Nebraska
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Medicine Creek Dam (the United States)
Location Frontier County, Nebraska
Coordinates 40°22′44″N100°13′08″W / 40.37900°N 100.21877°W / 40.37900; -100.21877
StatusOperational
Construction began1948
Opening date1949
Built by United States Bureau of Reclamation
Owner(s)United States Bureau of Reclamation
Operator(s)United States Bureau of Reclamation
Dam and spillways
Impounds Medicine Creek
Height165 ft (50 m)
Length5,665 ft (1,727 m)
Reservoir
CreatesHarry Strunk Lake
Total capacity35,705 acre⋅ft (44,041,000 m3)
Surface area1,850 acres (750 ha)
Normal elevation2,365 ft (721 m) [1]

The earthen and rockfill dam was constructed in 1948 and 1949 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. It is 165 feet (50 m) high, and 5,665 feet (1,727 m) long at its crest. [2] It impounds Medicine Creek for flood control, part of the Frenchman-Cambridge Division of the Bureau's extensive Pick–Sloan Missouri Basin Program. [3] The dam is owned and operated by the Bureau.

The reservoir it creates, Harry Strunk Lake, has a water surface of 1,850 acres (750 ha), a land area of 7,093 acres (2,870 ha), approximately 29 miles (47 km) of shoreline, and a capacity of 35,705 acre-feet (44,041,000 m3). [4] It was named for the founding editor of the local McCook Daily Gazette.

Recreation includes fishing (for walleye, crappie, white bass, channel catfish, etc.), hunting, boating, camping and hiking. The state of Nebraska maintains the surrounding Medicine Creek State Wildlife Recreation Area, Medicine Creek Reservoir State Recreation Area, and Medicine Creek State Recreation Area. [5]

References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Harry Strunk Lake
  2. "Dam details - Medicine Creek Dam - Bureau of Reclamation". Archived from the original on 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  3. "Project details - Frenchman-Cambridge Division - Bureau of Reclamation". Archived from the original on 2012-09-25. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  4. "Harry Strunk Lake (Medicine Creek State Park Recreation Area), Nebraska".
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2012-08-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)