Alameda Dam
Encyclopedia
The Alameda Dam is an embankment dam
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...

 located near Alameda
Alameda, Saskatchewan
-See also:* List of communities in Saskatchewan* List of towns in Saskatchewan* List of Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks-References:* Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan...

, and Oxbow, Saskatchewan
Oxbow, Saskatchewan
Oxbow is a Canadian town in the southeast of the province of Saskatchewan.-Basic information:According to the 2006 Canadian census, the town's population is 1,139; the town's area is 3.10 square km; and population density is 366.8 per square km....

, Canada. It was constructed in 1994 to control flows on the Moose Mountain Creek, and Souris River
Souris River
The Souris River or Mouse River is a river in central North America. It is about 700 km in length and drains about . It rises in the Yellow Grass Marshes north of Weyburn, Saskatchewan...

. It provides flood protection and irrigation for this area of Saskatchewan, along with protection for Minot, North Dakota
Minot, North Dakota
Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state...

. The Alameda reservoir provides opportunities for recreational use such as boating and fishing. At the full supply level of 562 metres (1,843.8 ft), the reservoir holds 105000000 cubic metres (3,708,039,952.3 cu ft) of water. The project is owned and operated by the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.

Structure

The Alameda dam is a 1660 metres (5,446.2 ft) long earthfill dam, with a height of 42 metres (137.8 ft). The volume of earth in the main dam is 2900000 cubic metres (102,412,532 cu ft). The dam is protected by a 224 metres (734.9 ft) long spillway with a maximum discharge capacity of 1400 cubic metres (49,440.5 cu ft) per second.
The dam includes a low-level outlet structure for discharge of water to maintain the quality of the riparian environment downstream of the project, and for irrigation outflow.

The reservoir has a surface area of 12.4 square kilometre at full supply level. The surrounding drainage area is 2140 square kilometre.

A full-time staff of about five people supervises and operates this dam and the Rafferty Dam built at the same time. Together the two projects provide flow control on the Souris River
Souris River
The Souris River or Mouse River is a river in central North America. It is about 700 km in length and drains about . It rises in the Yellow Grass Marshes north of Weyburn, Saskatchewan...

and flood protection for the city of Minot. Operation of the project is governed by an international treaty between Canada and the United States.

Further reading

  • George N. Hood Against the Flow:Rafferty Alameda and the Politics of the Environment, Fifth House Publishers, Saskatoon Saskatchewan, 1994, ISBN 1-895618-35-5

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK