Bull Shoals Dam

Bull Shoals Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the White River in northern Arkansas in the United States. The dam lies on the border of Marion and Baxter Counties, and forms Bull Shoals Lake, which extends well northwest into Missouri. Its main purposes are hydroelectricity production and flood control.

Bull Shoals Dam
Bull Shoals Dam from the air
Country	United States
Location	Baxter / Marion counties, Arkansas
Coordinates	36°21′58″N 92°34′29″W
Construction began	1947
Opening date	1951
Owner(s)	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Concrete gravity
Height	256 feet (78 m)
Length	2,256 feet (688 m)
Dam volume	2,100,000 cubic yards (1,600,000 m3)
Spillways	17 gate-controlled bays
Spillway capacity	112,200 cubic feet per second (3,180 m3/s)
Reservoir
Creates	Bull Shoals Lake
Total capacity	5,760,000 acre-feet (7.10 km3)
Active capacity	3,400,000 acre-feet (4.2 km3)
Catchment area	6,036 square miles (15,630 km2)
Surface area	71,240 acres (28,830 ha)
Maximum length	87 miles (140 km)
Normal elevation	695 feet (212 m) (max)
Power Station
Turbines	4x 45-MW units, 4x 50-MW units
Installed capacity	380 MW
Annual generation	883,910,000 KWh[1]

The dam was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in response to severe flooding between 1915 and 1927. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized the construction of the dam as well as six others on the White River and its tributaries in the Flood Control Act of 1938. Construction started in June 1947 and the dam was completed in July 1951. When finished, the dam was one of the largest concrete structures in the world. From its completion until 2009, it is estimated that the dam has prevented about $225.5 million in flood damages.[2][3]