Oglala Dam

Oglala Dam (National ID # SD00969) is a dam in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Men working on the Oglala Dam project, 1940
Oglala Dam
Location of Oglala Dam in South Dakota
CountryUnited States
LocationPine Ridge Indian Reservation in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota
Coordinates43.177330°N 102.739800°W / 43.177330; -102.739800
PurposeIrrigation and Water Storage
StatusOperational
Construction began1938 (1938)
Opening date1941 (1941)
Owner(s)Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment, earth-fill
ImpoundsWhite Clay Creek
Height80 feet (24 m)
Length2,600 feet (790 m)
Reservoir
CreatesOglala Lake
Total capacity18,300-acre-foot (0.0226 km3)
Surface area643 acres
Oglala Lake and Dam (not shown) stands just south of the town of Oglala, South Dakota

The earthen dam was constructed between 1938 and 1941 by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs using labor of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Public Works Administration.[1] The structure has a height of 80 feet and a length of 2600 feet at its crest.[2] It impounds White Clay Creek for irrigation storage. The dam is owned and operated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

The reservoir it creates, Oglala Lake, has a normal water surface of 643 acres and has a maximum capacity of 18,300 acre-feet.[2] As a development project, even after significant government subsidies, the dam has been "a dismal failure from the year of its construction."[1]

The Oglala Sioux Tribe website reports 3 to 4 "seasonal openings each year." The Safety of Dams Program monitors the Dam's water levels and flows for early detection of major dam breach/breaks or severe flood emergencies."[3]

The dam and lake are just south of Oglala, South Dakota, near U.S. Route 18.

See also

References
  1. Raymond J. De Mallie, "Pine Ridge Economy: Historical and Cultural Perspectives," collected in American Indian Economic Development, edited by Sam Stanley, page 281
  2. Oglala Dam
  3. "Tribal Programs Safety of Dams". Oglala Sioux Tribe. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
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