Authorization: Public Law 88-253 approved December 30, 1963; Senate Document 33, 88th Congress, 1st Session.
Location: At river mile 27.0 on Beaver Creek, a tributary of the Red River, about 6 miles northwest of Waurika in Jefferson County, Oklahoma.
Status: Complete.
Purpose: Flood control, irrigation, water supply, water quality, recreation, and fish and wildlife.
History of Construction: Construction began in July 1971, and the project was placed into operation on August 1, 1977, when impoundment began. The recreation facilities were completed in May 1980; the water conveyance facilities were completed in August 1981; and the boundary fencing was completed in April 1982. Land deficiencies are outstanding due to lack of funds. The conservation pool filled to elevation 951.4 on May 17, 1982.
Type of Structure: The earth-filled dam is about 16,600 feet long, including an uncontrolled spillway, and rises about 106 feet above the streambed. The crest width of the embankment is 32 feet. A 3,100-foot-long dike with a maximum height of nine feet was built one mile northeast of the dam to protect farmlands below.
Spillway & Outlet Works: A 300-foot-wide, uncontrolled spillway is located about 1.5 miles west of the original river channel. The outlet works include an 11.0- by 13.5-foot, oblong, concrete conduit with two service and two emergency, hydraulically-operated, oblong slide gates, a 14-inch diameter water supply pipe, and a 12-inch diameter low-flow pipe. The uncontrolled spillway has a maximum capacity of 68,900 cubic feet per second (cfs) and the maximum capacity from the conduits is 7,300 cfs.
Hydrologic Data: The flood of record occurred in May-June 1987 when a peak inflow into the lake of 105,000 cubic feet per second was recorded. The volume that passed the dam site was 167,100 acre-feet, which is equivalent to 5.57 inches of runoff from the drainage area.