Authorization: Flood Control Act approved October 23, 1962; Public Law 87-874, 87th Congress, 2d Session. The name was changed from Big Hill to Pearson-Skubitz Big Hill Lake by Public Law 95-625 dated November 10, 1978.

Location: At river mile 33.3 on Big Hill Creek, a tributary of the Verdigris River, about 4.5 miles east of Cherryvale in Labette County, Kansas.

Status: Complete.

Purpose: Flood control, water supply, recreation, and fish and wildlife.

History of Construction: Construction started on April 15, 1974, and the project was completed for full flood control operation in March 1981. The conservation pool was filled to elevation 858.0 on May 14, 1983.

Type of Structure: The rolled earth-filled embankment spans 3,992.10 ft. from STA. 19+20A (Top of Saddle and End of Cut-off Trench and Start of Embankment) to STA. 59+12.10A (End of Embankment at County Road and rises about 83 feet above the streambed.

Spillway & Outlet Works: The uncontrolled saddle spillway is a 400-foot-wide broad-crested weir with a 3-foot-long concrete sill, and is located in the right abutment. The outlet structure consists of a two-way drop inlet, a vertical inlet riser, a trash structure, and a wet well for water supply and low flows. The vertical inlet riser opens into the transition section with a curved bottom section transitioning to a 5-foot 8-inch diameter conduit with a capacity of 1,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) at the top of flood pool. A 30-inch water supply pipe and two 2- by 5-foot low-flow openings are provided. The spillway design discharge is 36,200 cfs. Channel capacity at the dam site is about 1,500 cfs. Outlet inlet is at 858.0 feet.

Hydrologic Data: The  July 1976 (during construction) a flood occurred where the estimated peak discharge and volume were 36,000 cfs and 24,060 acre-feet, respectively. Runoff from the drainage area above the dam site during the storm was 12.2 inches.