Eufaula Dam is a dam across the Canadian River in Oklahoma. Completed in 1964, it impounds Eufaula Lake, one of the world's largest man-made lakes, covering 102,500 acres (41,500 hectares). The dam serves to provide flood control, water supply, navigation and hydroelectric power generation. It supports a 90 MW power station;[1] three generators produce 30 MW each.[2]

Eufaula Dam
Eufaula Dam is located in Oklahoma
Eufaula Dam
Location of Eufaula Dam in Oklahoma
CountryUnited States
LocationHaskell / McIntosh counties, east of Eufaula, Oklahoma
Coordinates35°18′25″N 95°21′29″W / 35.30694°N 95.35806°W / 35.30694; -95.35806
StatusOperational
Construction began1956
Opening date1964
Owner(s)U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Dam and spillways
Type of damEarthen embankment, concrete gravity composite
ImpoundsCanadian River
Height114 ft (35 m)
Length3,200 ft (975 m)
Spillways11
Spillway typeTainter gate-controlled ogee weir
Spillway capacity465,000 cu ft/s (13,167 m3/s)
Reservoir
CreatesEufaula Lake
Total capacity2,099,000 acre⋅ft (2.589078377×109 m3)
Surface area102,000 acres (413 km2)
Power Station
Commission date1964
Turbines3 x 30 MW
Installed capacity90 MW

History

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State Highway 71 runs across the top of the dam.

 
Fishing at Eufaula Dam

The dam was approved by Rivers and Harbors Act of 1946 and construction began in December 1956.[3] The cost of the project, completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was $121,735,000.[3] The flood-control operations of the dam were in place by February 1964, and the dam dedicated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 25, 1964.[3]

Heavy rains in the spring of 2015, caused Eufaula Lake to rise so rapidly that the Corps of Engineers had to open the flood gates and release water at rates as high as 48,000 cubic feet (1,400 m3) per second. This was the highest rate since 1990.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Eufaula Dam". Energy Justice Network. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  2. ^ Corey Jones, State to mark 50 years since Lake Eufaula's dedication by LBJ, Tulsa World (September 24, 2014).
  3. ^ a b c "History of Eufaula Lake". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  4. ^ Tess Maune, Water Pouring Out Of Eufaula Dam Most In 25 Years, KOTV-DT (May 13, 2015).