List of dams in the Missouri River watershed facts for kids

The Missouri River is a very long river in the United States. It's like a giant highway for water, flowing into the even bigger Mississippi River. Along the Missouri River and its many smaller rivers (called tributaries), there are thousands of dams. These dams are like big walls built across a river. They create lakes, also known as reservoirs, behind them.

There are about 17,200 dams and reservoirs in the Missouri River basin. Most of these are small and help farmers water their crops. The lakes created by these dams can hold a huge amount of water, about 141 million acre-feet. That's a lot of water! Dams are important for many reasons, like controlling floods, providing water for homes and farms, and even making electricity.

Map showing the Missouri River basin

Garrison Dam, which forms Lake Sakakawea, the largest reservoir on the Missouri River

Dams on the Main Missouri River

These are the biggest dams built directly on the Missouri River itself. The table below shows important details about each one. You can see how tall they are, how much water their lakes can hold, and how much electricity they can make.

Dams on Tributary Rivers

Tributary rivers are smaller rivers or streams that flow into a larger river, like the Missouri River. Many important dams are built on these tributary rivers. The table below lists the tributary dams that can hold a lot of water (more than 250,000 acre-feet).

See Also

• List of tributaries of the Missouri River
• Pick–Sloan Missouri Basin Program