Fort Randall Dam

and is one of six main-stem dams in the Missouri Basin.

The dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944 and plays a key role in the Pick-Sloan Plan for development of water resources in the Missouri River basin. The Corps of Engineers began construction of Fort Randall Dam in 1946, and it was the first Pick-Sloan dam completed by the Omaha District. President Dwight D. Eisenhower threw the switch that started the first power generating unit in 1954. When completed in 1956, Fort Randall Dam and the Lake Francis Case Project cost approximately $200 million.

The eight generating units of the Fort Randall Dam are capable of generating 40 megawatts of electricity each. The combined maximum capacity of 320 megawatts is enough to supply 245,000 households, according to the Corps of Engineers. The river behind the dam drains an area of 263,480 mi² (682,410 km²). Its reservoir, Lake Francis Case, has a surface area of 102,000 acres (413 km²) at maximum operating pool, coinciding with a volume of 5,700,000 acre feet (7 km³).

The Fort Randall Dam is located in southeast South Dakota within sight of its namesake Fort Randall at coord|43|04|04|N|98|33|00|W| (NAD83) by Pickstown, South Dakota; 12 miles (19 km) west of Wagner, South Dakota, on South Dakota Highway 46; or 25 miles northeast of Spencer, Nebraska, on U.S. Highway 281.

References

* U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (July 29, 2004) [https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/Lake_Proj/fortrandall/welcome.html Fort Randall Project homepage]

Crossings navbox
structure = Crossings
place = Missouri River
bridge = Fort Randall Dam
bridge signs = "'
upstream = Bridge
upstream signs = SD 44
downstream = Bridge
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