Merritt Dam is a dam in
Cherry County, Nebraska
Cherry County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 5,455. Its county seat is Valentine. The county was named for Lt. Samuel A. Cherry, an Army officer who was stationed at Fort ...
, southwest of
Valentine, in the north-central part of the state. The earthen dam impounds the
Snake River
The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Begin ...
as it flows along the southern edge of the
Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest in the
Sandhills. It created Merritt Reservoir in 1964 as a project of 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 ...
. The reservoir holds almost , with about of sandy shoreline and 3,000 surface acres () of water.
Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area is adjacent to the eastern side of the reservoir and offers boating, fishing, camping, and hunting activities.
The area, a noted dark-sky location, is the location of the annua
Nebraska Star Party
References
External links
Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area - Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
Dams in Nebraska
State parks of Nebraska
United States Bureau of Reclamation dams
Reservoirs in Nebraska
Bodies of water of Cherry County, Nebraska
Protected areas of Cherry County, Nebraska
Dams completed in 1964
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