| Big Bend Dam |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT BIG BEND DAM | |
| dams in south dakota | |
| missouri river | |
| hydroelectric power plants in south dakota | |
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Big Bend Dam is a major rolled earth dam along the Missouri River in central South Dakota . The dam, 95 feet (29 m) high and 10,570 feet (3.22 km) in length, was constructed as part of the Pick-Sloan Plan for Missouri watershed development authorized by the Flood Control Act Of 1944 . Construction began in 1959 and the embankment completed in July 1963. Power generation began at the facility in 1964 and the entire complex was completed in 1966 at a total cost of $107 million. The hydroelectric plant presently generates 493,300 kilowatts of electricity and meets peak-hour demand for power within the Missouri River Basin. Located near Fort Thompson, South Dakota , just sound of a major bend in the Missouri River (from which the dam takes its name), Big Bend Dam creates Lake Sharpe, named after South Dakota Governor Merrill Q. Sharpe . The lake entends for 80 miles (130 km) up the course of the Missouri River past Pierre to Oahe Dam , another major power-generating and flood control embankment. Lake Sharpe covers a total of 56,884 acres (230.20 km²) and drains an area just under 250,000 mi² (650,000 km²). EXTERNAL LINKS
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