Salmon Lake Dam facts for kids

The town of Conconully, Washington from the north. You can see Conconully Lake and Salmon Lake Dam to the east (left), and the 1911 Conconully Dam and Conconully Reservoir to the south.

The Salmon Lake Dam is a special wall built across a river in Okanogan County, Washington. It helps control water and store it for different uses.

Building the Salmon Lake Dam

This dam is an earthen dam, which means it's mostly made from packed dirt, rocks, and clay. Workers built it a long time ago, between 1919 and 1921. The United States Bureau of Reclamation, a government group, was in charge of building it.

The dam stands about 54 feet (that's like a five-story building!) and stretches 1260 feet across the land. That's longer than three football fields!

What the Dam Does

The main job of Salmon Lake Dam is to hold back the water from Salmon Creek. This is called impounding the water. It does two very important things:

• Flood Control: It stops the river from overflowing its banks and causing floods, especially when there's a lot of rain or melting snow.
• Water Storage: It saves water for irrigation. This means the water can be sent to farms to help crops grow, especially during dry times.

Salmon Lake Dam is part of a bigger plan called the Okanogan Project. Another important dam, the Conconully Dam, which was built in 1911, is also part of this same project. Both dams work together to manage water in the area.

Conconully Lake: A Fun Place!

When Salmon Lake Dam holds back the water, it creates a large artificial lake called Conconully Lake. This lake can hold a lot of water – about 15,700 acre-feet. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre of land with water one foot deep. That's a huge amount of water!

Conconully Lake is also a popular spot for outdoor activities. People love to visit for:

• Fishing: You can catch different kinds of fish like rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and smallmouth bass.
• Boating: It's a great place to go out on the water in a boat.
• Camping: Many families enjoy camping near the lake.
• Hiking: There are trails nearby for walking and exploring nature.
• Wildlife Viewing: You might even see different animals and birds that live around the lake.

Nearby, you can also find Conconully State Park and the Conconully National Wildlife Refuge, which are great places to explore nature even more.