The Tongue River Dam (National Inventory of Dams ID MT00002) is a dam in Big Horn County, Montana, a few miles north of the Wyoming state border. It impounds the Tongue River, creating the Tongue River Reservoir.

Tongue River Reservoir
Tongue River Dam
Tongue River Reservoir is located in Montana
Tongue River Reservoir
Tongue River Reservoir
LocationBig Horn County, Montana
Coordinates45°03′38″N 106°47′24″W / 45.06056°N 106.79000°W / 45.06056; -106.79000 [1]
Lake typeReservoir
Primary inflowsTongue River
Primary outflowsTongue River
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length5.5 miles (8.9 km)
Max. width1.1 miles (1.8 km)
Surface area3,700 acres (1,500 ha)
Water volume79,071 acre-feet (97,533,000 m3)[2]
Surface elevation4,222 feet (1,287 m)[1]

The earthen dam was constructed in the river canyon in 1939, with a height of 91 feet (28 m) and a length at its crest of 1,824 feet (556 m).[2] It impounds Montana's north-flowing Tongue River for flood control and irrigation water storage. The dam and reservoir are owned and operated by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

The 12-mile-long (19 km) riverine reservoir it creates has a normal water surface of 5.5 square miles (14 km2), a maximum capacity of 150,000 acre-feet (190,000,000 m3), and normal storage of 69,400 acre-feet (85,600,000 m3).[2] Recreation includes boating, fishing for bass, crappie, walleye and northern pike,[3] and camping in the Tongue River Reservoir State Park.[4] For white-water rafters, the Tongue is a Class I river from the Dam downstream (northward) to its confluence with the Yellowstone River.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Tongue River Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ a b c "Tongue River Dam Fact Sheet" (PDF). Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "Tongue River Reservoir". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "Tongue River Reservoir State Park". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  5. ^ "Stream Access in Montana". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. January 2005. Retrieved July 1, 2020.