Pactola Lake is the largest and deepest
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
in the
Black Hills
The Black Hills ( lkt, Ȟe Sápa; chy, Moʼȯhta-voʼhonáaeva; hid, awaxaawi shiibisha) is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black ...
, located 15 miles west of
Rapid City,
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Constructed in 1952, the dam and waters are managed by the
Bureau of Reclamation
The Bureau of Reclamation, and formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and opera ...
, with the surrounding land managed by the
US Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
as part of
Black Hills National Forest
Black Hills National Forest is located in southwestern South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, United States. The forest has an area of over 1.25 million acres (5,066 km²) and is managed by the Forest Service. Forest headquarters are locate ...
, which operates a visitor center located on the south side of the dam. Facilities include campgrounds, hiking trails, picnic areas, and a beach.
History
Pactola Dam was built in 1952 by federal authorities to provide Rapid City with a new water supply, following the related construction of
Deerfield Dam in 1945. The new reservoir inundated the mining town of
Pactola, and construction was completed in 1956 after the movement of more than 4.3 million cubic yards of embankment fill.
Severe thunderstorms in 1972 that caused flooding in Rapid City led to dam modifications to ensure safety, with further safety modifications in 1987.
Ecology
Many fish live in Pactola Lake, including
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
and
brown trout as well as perch and bass.
An
invasive zebra mussel
The zebra mussel (''Dreissena polymorpha'') is a small freshwater mussel. The species originates from the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine, but has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in ma ...
infestation was detected in the summer of 2022.
Recreation
Visitors can go boating, camping, swimming, and hiking.
The lake is popular with fishermen, and scuba divers can see the limited remains of the town of Pactola.
See also
*
List of South Dakota lakes
*
List of lakes
This is a list of the top three to five major lakes per region, with links to more detailed region lists of lakes. A "major" lake is defined as that which is the largest by area, depth, volume, or cultural and/or environmental significance.
A ...
References
External links
Pactola (Ghost town)
{{authority control
Reservoirs in South Dakota
Black Hills
Bodies of water of Pennington County, South Dakota
Tourist attractions in Pennington County, South Dakota
Black Hills National Forest
1952 establishments in South Dakota