Tongue River Dam

The Tongue River Dam (National ID # MT00002) is a dam in Big Horn County, Montana, a few miles north of the Wyoming state border. It impounds the Tongue River, creating the Tongue River Reservoir.

Tongue River Reservoir
Tongue River Dam
Tongue River Reservoir
Location	Big Horn County, Montana
Coordinates	45°03′38″N 106°47′24″W [1]
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Tongue River
Primary outflows	Tongue River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	5.5 miles (8.9 km)
Max. width	1.1 miles (1.8 km)
Surface area	3,700 acres (1,500 ha)
Water volume	79,071 acre feet (97,533,000 m^3)[2]
Surface elevation	4,222 feet (1,287 m)[1]

The earthen dam was constructed in the river canyon in 1939, with a height of 91 feet and a length at its crest of 1824 feet.[2] It impounds Montana's north-flowing Tongue River for flood control and irrigation water storage. The dam and reservoir are owned and operated by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

The 12-mile-long riverine reservoir it creates has a normal water surface of 5.5 square miles, a maximum capacity of 150,000 acre-feet, and normal storage of 69,400 acre-feet.[2] Recreation includes boating, fishing for bass, crappie, walleye and northern pike,[3] and camping in the Tongue River Reservoir State Park.[4] For white-water rafters the Tongue is a Class I river from the Dam downstream (northward) to its confluence with the Yellowstone River.[5]

References

1. "Tongue River Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
2. "Tongue River Dam Fact Sheet" (PDF). Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
3. "Tongue River Reservoir". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
4. "Tongue River Reservoir State Park". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
5. "Stream Access in Montana". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. January 2005. Retrieved July 1, 2020.