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Bonny Dam (National ID # CO01300) is a dam in
Bonny Dam (National ID # CO01300) is a dam in Yuma County, Colorado
Yuma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,988. The county seat is Wray.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and ...
, in the eastern part of the state.
The earthen dam was constructed between 1948 and 1951 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation
The Bureau of Reclamation, 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 operatio ...
, with a height of and long at its crest. It impounds the South Fork of the Republican River
The Republican River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, rising in the High Plains of eastern Colorado and flowing east U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map acce ...
for flood control, irrigation storage and recreation, as part of the Bureau's extensive Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program. The dam is owned and operated by the Bureau.
The reservoir it creates, Bonny Reservoir, was drained in 2011. It formerly had a water surface area of over , a maximum capacity of , and a shoreline of about . All water was released downstream to flow across the Kansas state border, about to the east, to satisfy a May 2003 United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
decision on a dispute arising from the Republican River Compact.
In September and October 2011, Bonny Lake was drained and many of the Bonny Lake State Park's services were eliminated, including the fishery and the visitors' center. The dam structure remains. The park is now being operated as part of the South Republican River State Wildlife Area.
See also
*List of largest reservoirs of Colorado
This is a list of the largest reservoirs in the state of Colorado. All thirty-nine reservoirs that contain greater than are included in the list. Most of the larger reservoirs in the state are owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation and, ...
References
{{authority control Dams in Colorado Reservoirs in Colorado United States Bureau of Reclamation dams Buildings and structures in Yuma County, Colorado Dams completed in 1951 Bodies of water of Yuma County, Colorado