Pinto Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pinto Dam |
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| Location | Grant County, Washington, USA |
| Coordinates | 47°26′50″N 119°15′00″W / 47.44722°N 119.25000°W |
| Opening date | 1948 |
| Operator(s) | United States Bureau of Reclamation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 130 feet (40 m) |
| Length | 1,900 feet (579 m) |
| Width (base) | 600 feet (180 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Billy Clapp Lake |
| Total capacity | 21,200 acre-feet (0.0261 km3) |
| Catchment area | 190 square miles (490 km2) |
| Surface area | 973.6 acres (3.940 km2) |
Pinto Dam is a large dam located in Grant County, Washington, in the United States. It was built between 1946 and 1948 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. This dam is an important part of a huge project called the Columbia Basin Project.
The main jobs of Pinto Dam are to store water for farms, help control floods, and produce electricity. It is made of earth and is about 130 feet (40 meters) tall and 1,900 feet (579 meters) long.
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What is Pinto Dam?
Pinto Dam is an earthen structure. This means it is built mostly from compacted soil and rock. It stands 130 feet (about 40 meters) high and stretches 1,900 feet (about 579 meters) across. The dam's job is to hold back water, creating a large lake behind it.
The dam helps to store water that can be used later. This stored water is important for irrigating, or watering, farms in the area. It also helps to prevent floods by controlling the flow of water.
Billy Clapp Lake: A Fun Place
The dam creates a long, crescent-shaped lake called Billy Clapp Lake. This lake is about six miles (10 kilometers) long. It was originally known as Long Lake Reservoir. The lake was renamed after a lawyer from Ephrata, Washington, who helped with the project.
Billy Clapp Lake is a popular spot for fishing all year round. You can catch fish like yellow perch, crappie, rainbow trout, and walleye here. The Stratford Wildlife Recreation Area is next to the lake. It's a great place to see many different kinds of migrating birds.
Part of a Bigger Plan: The Columbia Basin Project
Pinto Dam and Billy Clapp Lake are key parts of the massive Columbia Basin Project. This huge project was designed to bring water to dry lands in Washington state. It also helps to control floods and generate hydroelectric power.
The project uses a system of canals, dams, and lakes. The Main Canal, which is part of this system, connects Banks Lake to Billy Clapp Lake. This section of the canal is about 8.3 miles (13.4 kilometers) long.
How Pinto Dam Helps the Project
Pinto Dam plays a special role in the Columbia Basin Project. By building the dam in a natural valley called Long Lake Coulee, engineers avoided having to dig more expensive canals. The dam essentially turned this coulee into a large water storage area.
Billy Clapp Lake, formed by Pinto Dam, is about 6 miles (10 kilometers) long and half a mile (0.8 kilometers) wide. It can be as deep as 300 feet (91 meters). Before the dam was built, this area had five smaller lakes. These included Long, Coffee Pot, Pot, Cold Spring, and July Lakes.
The dam also has special gates called radial gates. These gates help control how much water flows out of Billy Clapp Lake into the rest of the Main Canal system. This ensures water is delivered exactly where it's needed for farming.
