Mountain Park Dam facts for kids
The Mountain Park Dam is a large structure that holds back water to create the Tom Steed Reservoir. You can find it on Otter Creek, close to Mountain Park, Oklahoma. It's built just upstream from another dam called Snyder Dam.
Before the Mountain Park Dam was built, a lake called Snyder Lake had to be emptied. Once the dam was finished, Snyder Lake was filled up again. This lake is kept at a certain level to create a special deep area called a plunge pool. This pool helps to slow down water that flows out or spills over the dam.
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What is Mountain Park Dam?
Mountain Park Dam is a special type of dam made from concrete. It has a curved shape, like an arch, which helps it stand strong against the water. This main concrete part is about 535 feet (163 m) long and stands 133 feet (41 m) tall.
On either side of the concrete dam, there are long earthen walls called dikes. The East Dike stretches for about 10,311 feet (3,143 m), and the West Dike is even longer, at about 13,235 feet (4,034 m). Together, the dam and these dikes form the huge Tom Steed Reservoir.
Tom Steed Reservoir: A Big Lake
The Tom Steed Reservoir is a very large body of water. It can hold a total of about 117,825 acre-feet (145,335,000 m3) of water. A big part of this water, about 109,276 acre-feet (134,790,000 m3), is used for everyday needs. When the reservoir is full, its surface covers an area of about 6,400 acres (26 km2).
How Water Leaves the Dam
The dam has special pipes and gates that let water out in a controlled way. These are called the outlet works. They are located in a strong concrete block on the left side of the dam.
There are three main pipes for releasing water:
- A 42-inch pipe sends water to a system that carries it to where it's needed. This pipe has two openings at different heights (elevations 1382.0 and 1401.0). This allows operators to choose water from the top or bottom of the reservoir, or even mix it.
- An 84-inch pipe is used to release large amounts of water during floods.
- A smaller 15-inch pipe is for releasing small amounts of water, like a normal stream flow.
All these pipes have special screens called fish screens. These screens help protect fish by preventing them from getting pulled into the pipes. They also have gates that can be opened or closed to control the water flow.
The Spillway: When There's Too Much Water
The curved concrete part of Mountain Park Dam also acts as a spillway. This is like a giant overflow drain. When the water in the reservoir gets too high, it flows over the top of this section.
The top of the spillway is at elevation 1,414.0 and is about 320 feet (98 m) long. When floodwaters go over the spillway, they fall into the plunge pool at the bottom of the dam. This pool helps to slow down the powerful water, so it doesn't cause damage. The spillway is built to handle a very large amount of water, up to 38,300 cubic feet (1,080 m3) per second, especially when the reservoir is at its highest level.
