Bull Shoals Dam

Bull Shoals Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the White River in northern Arkansas in the United States. The dam lies on the border of Marion and Baxter Counties, and forms Bull Shoals Lake, which extends well northwest into Missouri. Its main purposes are hydroelectricity production and flood control.

Bull Shoals Dam
Bull Shoals Dam from the air
CountryUnited States
LocationBaxter / Marion counties, Arkansas
Coordinates36°21′58″N 92°34′29″W
Construction began1947
Opening date1951
Owner(s)U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Dam and spillways
Type of damConcrete gravity
Height256 feet (78 m)
Length2,256 feet (688 m)
Dam volume2,100,000 cubic yards (1,600,000 m3)
Spillways17 gate-controlled bays
Spillway capacity112,200 cubic feet per second (3,180 m3/s)
Reservoir
CreatesBull Shoals Lake
Total capacity5,760,000 acre feet (7.10 km3)
Active capacity3,400,000 acre feet (4.2 km3)
Catchment area6,036 square miles (15,630 km2)
Surface area71,240 acres (28,830 ha)
Maximum length87 miles (140 km)
Normal elevation695 feet (212 m) (max)
Power Station
Turbines4x 45-MW units, 4x 50-MW units
Installed capacity380 MW
Annual generation883,910,000 KWh[1]

The dam was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in response to severe flooding between 1915 and 1927. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized the construction of the dam as well as six others on the White River and its tributaries in the Flood Control Act of 1938. Construction started in June 1947 and the dam was completed in July 1951. When finished, the dam was one of the largest concrete structures in the world. From its completion until 2009, it is estimated that the dam has prevented about $225.5 million in flood damages.[2][3]

References

  1. http://carma.org/plant/detail/6208
  2. "Bull Shoals Dam". Ozarkhistory.com. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  3. "Bull Shoals Dam and Lake". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. 2011-05-18. Retrieved 2011-06-12.


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