Virginia Smith Dam facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Virginia Smith Dam
Country	United States
Location	Garfield County, Nebraska, United States.
Coordinates	41.8333°N 99.2000°W / 41.8333; -99.2000
Status	Operational
Owner(s)	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment
Impounds	Calamus River
Height	96 ft (29 m)
Length	5,808 ft (1,770 m)
Reservoir
Creates	Calamus Reservoir
Total capacity	27,400 acre⋅ft (33,797,402 m3)
Catchment area	147 sq mi (381 km2)
Surface area	5,123 acres (2,073 ha)
Maximum length	10 mi (16 km)
Normal elevation	2,244 feet msl
Website U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Virginia Smith Dam

Location of Virginia Smith Dam in Nebraska. The map shows dams and reservoirs built in the Pick–Sloan Program since the 1940s

Virginia Smith Dam (also known as Calamus Dam; National ID # NE82904) is a dam in Garfield County, Nebraska, about five miles northwest of Burwell.

The earthen dam was constructed in 1985 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation with a height of 96 feet and 147 feet long at its crest. It impounds the Calamus River for irrigation storage and flood control, as part of the North Loup Division of the extensive, multi-state Pick–Sloan Missouri Basin Program. The dam is owned by the Bureau and is operated by the local Twin Loup Irrigation District.

The reservoir it creates, Calamus Reservoir, has a water surface of 5,142 acres, 6,404 land acres, about 31 miles of shoreline, and a maximum capacity of 27,400 acre-feet. Recreation includes fishing (walleye, wiper, white bass, northern pike, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, and crappie, etc.), hunting, boating, camping and hiking. The reservoir is also the site of the state Calamus Reservoir State Recreation Area and Wildlife Management Area. Although the dam itself is located in Garfield County, most of the reservoir lies in Loup County, to its west.

The lake and surrounding public lands are a part of the Calamus State Recreation Area, managed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.