Cold Brook Dam is an

earthen dam An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and ...

located near

Hot Springs, South Dakota Hot Springs (Lakota: ''mni kȟáta''; "hot water") is a city in and county seat of Fall River County, South Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 3,395. In addition, neighboring Oglala Lakota County contracts the ...

in Fall River County in the southwestern part of the state, in the southern

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 Elk P ...

. The earthen dam was constructed in 1953 by the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

with a height of 127 feet and a length at its crest of 925 feet. It impounds Cold Brook Creek, a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Cheyenne River The Cheyenne River ( lkt, Wakpá Wašté; "Good River"), also written ''Chyone'', referring to the Cheyenne people who once lived there, is a tributary of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. It is approximately 2 ...

for

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

purposes during

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

events for nearby Hot Springs. The dam is owned and operated by the Corps of Engineers, Omaha District. The reservoir it creates, Cold Brook Lake, has a water surface of 36 acres and has a maximum capacity of 7200

acre-feet The acre-foot is a non- SI unit of volume equal to about commonly used in the United States in reference to large-scale water resources, such as reservoirs, aqueducts, canals, sewer flow capacity, irrigation water, and river flows. An acre-f ...

. year-round recreation is possible and includes canoeing, fishing, swimming, wildlife viewing, camping, and (in the winter) ice fishing, skating, and cross-country skiing. Cold Brook Lake Recreation Area includes a boat ramp, picnic area, swim beach and campground is managed by the Corps of Engineers. Cottonwood Springs Dam, another Corps of Engineers dam is located about 5 miles to the southwest.

External links

Cold Brook Lake at Recreation.govU.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cold Brook Dam

References

Dams in South Dakota Reservoirs in South Dakota United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Buildings and structures in Fall River County, South Dakota Dams completed in 1953 Bodies of water of Fall River County, South Dakota 1953 establishments in South Dakota {{SouthDakota-struct-stub