South Fork Dam is a dam in

Elko County, Nevada Elko County is a county in the northeastern corner of Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,702. Its county seat is Elko. The county was established on March 5, 1869, from Lander County. Elko County is the fourth ...

, in the northeastern part of the state, about fifteen miles south of the town of Elko. The earthen dam was completed in 1988 by the

Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is a Nevada state agency that focuses on the preservation and management of Nevada’s natural, cultural, and recreational resources. The current director is James Settelmeyer. The ...

, with a height of 72 feet and 1650 feet long at its crest. It impounds

South Fork Humboldt River The South Fork Humboldt River is a river in Elko County, Nevada, United States. Description left, South Fork Canyon, looking south The river originates in a fan-shaped group of canyons draining the western slopes of the Ruby Mountains in nor ...

for flood control and recreation. The reservoir it creates, South Fork Reservoir, has a water surface of 1,650 acres (670 ha) surrounded by 2,200 acres (890 ha) of marsh, meadowland, and hills. Recreation is primarily fishing, for rainbow and brown trout, cutt-bow trout, smallmouth and largemouth black bass, wiper hybrid bass and channel catfish. Facilities include a 25-site campground at the adjacent

South Fork State Recreation Area South Fork State Recreation Area is a state park unit of the state of Nevada covering nearly four thousand acres, located due south of Elko. The park comprises the South Fork Reservoir and surrounding marsh, meadowlands, and hills. History T ...

References

{{authority control Dams in Nevada Reservoirs in Nevada Dams completed in 1988 Buildings and structures in Elko County, Nevada United States state-owned dams Lakes of Elko County, Nevada 1988 establishments in Nevada