Authorization: Flood Control Act approved May 17, 1950, Public Law 516, 81st Congress, 2d Session.
Location: On the Arkansas River at river mile 538.8, about 15 miles west of the City of Tulsa in Tulsa County, Oklahoma.
Status: Complete.
Purpose: Flood control, water supply, hydroelectric power, navigation, fish and wildlife, and recreation.
History of Construction: Construction began in January 1957 and the project was placed in flood control operation in September 1964. Both initial and capacity electricity generation were achieved in 1968.
Type of Structure: The embankment is constructed of rolled earth-filled material. The total length of the dam, including a 1,600-foot-long concrete section, is 4,600 feet. The maximum height is about 121 feet above the streambed. The concrete section consists of a spillway, a non-overflow section, and a power intake structure. Highway 151 crosses the dam to connect relocated U.S. Highway 51 on the south with relocated U.S. Highway 64 on the north.
An additional structure of interest is the Cleveland Levee. It is 12,915 ft. long (13+85 to 143+00), the maximum height is 34’, and has a design crest elevation of 763.75 (NGVD29).
Spillway & Outlet Works: The spillway is a gated, concrete, ogee-weir with a net width of 720 feet, surmounted by eighteen 40- by 35-foot tainter gates. Spillway capacity at the top of maximum pool (elevation 766.0) is 914,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) and at the top of the flood control pool (elevation 754.0) is 555,000 cfs. The spillway is also equipped with nine 5.67- by 10-foot sluices located between alternate intermediate piers with an approximate discharge capacity of 35,000 cfs at top of flood pool. Channel capacity of the Arkansas River below Tulsa, Oklahoma, is about 105,000.
Power Intake Structure: The powerhouse and power intake structure are located between the spillway and the left non-overflow sections and include two penstocks, each 27 feet in diameter, controlled by two 16- by 32-foot gates. The release capacity of the powerhouse is approximately 11,600 cfs.
Hydrologic Data: The flood of record occurred April 28 through June 30, 2019, and had a volume of 11,379,278 acre-feet, which is equivalent to 9.55 inches of runoff. Peak inflow to the lake was 321,300 cfs. The previous flood of record occurred in October of 1986 which had a peak inflow of 344,000 cfs but was a much shorter event resulting in significantly lower total volume.