| An 8-year project
to modify the dam and associated facilities was completed in 1993. The
State of Wyoming contributed about 40 percent of the cost of the
modification, making this one of the first state/federal cost-sharing
agreements for water project construction in the nation.
Raising the dam - The project
involved raising the crest of the dam nearly 25 feet to create an
additional 321 million cubic meters (260,000 acre-feet) of reservoir
storage capacity. Atop the new crest are aeration piers which support a
walkway across the dam. The piers are designed to help the crest function
as an emergency spillway in the event the dam is overtopped during
extremely heavy runoff.
Enlarging and gating the spillway
- The dam's spillway, which runs through the mountain under the Visitor
Center, was enlarged, and radial arm gates were installed to allow for
controlled spilling. The gatehouse structure located across the parking
lot from the Visitor Center, although mostly below ground level, is
equivalent to a 10-story building, making it among the tallest structures
in Wyoming.
Building dust dikes - Two
dust-abatement dikes and one protective dike were constructed at locations
around the reservoir. The North Fork and the South Fork dikes keep water
on areas of the lake bottom which produce dust when the reservoir level
drops. The Diamond Creek Dike prevents the reservoir from inundating Irma
Flat.
Added power
generating capacity
Irrigation - Water stored
behind the original Buffalo Bill Dam supplies four irrigation districts
encompassing over 93,000 acres of farmland in the Big Horn Basin. The
principal crops are beans, alfalfa, oats, barley and sugar beets. Since
crop production started in 1908, cropland served by Reclamation water has
produced over $700 million worth of products.
Recreation - Buffalo Bill Dam
and Reservoir are located on the Yellowstone Highway, one of the main
routes leading into Yellowstone National Park. The reservoir provides
opportunities for camping, fishing, picnicking, swimming and boating.
Since the increased reservoir level inundated some of the old recreation
facilities, new camping areas, such as the
Buffalo
Bill State Park, were built at higher elevations.
Fish & wildlife - The
reservoir and its environs provide habitat for a variety of fish and
wildlife species. A minimum flow is provided to maintain the fishery in
the Shoshone River below the dam.
Municipal water - Six towns
and several rural areas in Park and Bighorn counties are served from a
central water treatment plant. This new treatment plant is supplied raw
water under pressure from the Spirit Mountain Energy Dissipation
Structure.
Flood control - Although the
dam was not built primarily for flood control, it does offer incidental
flood protection for areas downstream.
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