Flaming Gorge Reservoir

Flaming Gorge Reservoir is the largest reservoir in Wyoming, on the Green River, impounded behind the Flaming Gorge Dam. Construction on the dam began in 1958 and was completed in 1964. The reservoir stores 3,788,900 acre feet (4.6735×109 m3) of water when measured at an elevation of 6,040 feet (1,841 m) above sea-level (maximum).

Flaming Gorge Reservoir
Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Utah
LocationSweetwater County, Wyoming / Daggett County, Utah, US
Coordinates41°09′41″N 109°33′04″W
Lake typeHydroelectric reservoir
Primary inflowsGreen River

Blacks Fork

Henrys Fork
Primary outflowsGreen River
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area42,020 acres (170 km2)
Water volume3,788,900 acre⋅ft (4.6735 km3)
Surface elevation6,040 ft (1841 m)
SettlementsManila, Utah; Dutch John, Utah

Location

The reservoir is mainly in southwest Wyoming and partially in northeastern Utah. The northern tip of the reservoir is 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Green River, Wyoming, 14 mi (23 km) southwest of Rock Springs, Wyoming, and the Southern tip is approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of Vernal, Utah. The lake straddles the Utah-Wyoming border. The nearby town of Dutch John, Utah, was built to serve as a base camp during construction of the dam, and as an administrative site afterwards.

Aerial view of Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming

Geology

The foundation of the reservoir is a steep-sided narrow canyon composed of siliceous sandstone and hard quartzites inter-bedded with softer shales, siltstones, and argillites. About 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of the dam, a road cut has revealed a fault scarp on the southbound side with about 9 feet (3 m) of slippage.

Recreation

Visitors enjoy hiking, boating, fishing, windsurfing, camping, backpacking, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling within Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, which is operated by Ashley National Forest. Camp sites can be found close to the dam and along Highway 191 for a fee, as well as free throughout the area. Campgrounds operated by the U.S. Forest Service close in the winter months, with the exception of Dripping Springs near Dutch John. There are also public camp sites at Buck Board and Lucerne Marinas, along Highway 530 on the west side of the reservoir. The many available fish species in the reservoir and surrounding lakes are Colorado River Cutthroat trout, Brown trout, Rainbow trout , Lake trout, Kokanee salmon, Smallmouth bass, Burbot and Common carp. The Green River is a popular spot for fishing, mainly below the dam. The river's ice cold water and beautiful structure make it a world class, world-renowned fly fishing stream.

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See also
  • List of largest reservoirs of Wyoming

Further reading
  • Webb, Roy (2012). Lost Canyons of the Green River: The Story before Flaming Gorge Dam. ISBN 978-1-60781-179-4.
A panorama of Flaming Gorge Reservoir taken from the observation platform on Highway 191 during the summer.
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