Table Rock Lake is an artificial lake or

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 contr ...

in the

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant port ...

of southwestern

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

and northwestern

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

in the United States. Designed, built and operated by the

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

, the lake is impounded by Table Rock Dam (located ), which was constructed from 1954 to 1958 on the White River. The lake is a popular attraction for the city of

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postm ...

, and the nearby town of

Shell Knob, Missouri Shell Knob is a census-designated place (CDP) located within White River Township, Barry County, Missouri. The population was 1,254 at the 2020 census. The Stone County portion of Shell Knob is part of the Branson, Missouri Micropolitan Statist ...

. There are several commercial

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or ...

s along the lake, and Table Rock State Park is located on the east side, both north and south of Table Rock Dam. Downstream from the dam, the

Missouri Department of Conservation The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Missouri Conservation Commission were created by Article IV Sections 40-42 of the Missouri Constitution, which were adopted by the voters of the state in 1936 as Amendment 4 to the constitution ...

operates a

fish hatchery A fish hatchery is a place for artificial breeding, hatching, and rearing through the early life stages of animals—finfish and shellfish in particular.Crespi V., Coche A. (2008) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Gloss ...

, which is used to stock

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

Lake Taneycomo Lake Taneycomo is a man-made lake or reservoir on the White River in the Ozark Mountains of Taney County, Missouri. The reservoir's name is a portmanteau for the county and state in which it is located: ''Taney Co''unty, ''MO''. Lake Taneyco ...

, which begins immediately downstream from the Table Rock Dam. The cold water discharged from the dam creates a trout fishing environment in the lake. The lake derives its name from a rock formation resembling a table at the small community of

Table Rock, Missouri Table Rock was a village in Taney County, Missouri, United States. The population was 229 at the 2000 census. It was part of the Branson, Missouri Micropolitan Statistical Area. It was located just east of the Table Rock Lake dam on the White ...

, on Highway 165 about a mile and a half downstream from where the dam was built.

Lake temperature

''The lake area temperature varies according to season'': * Spring: 56 to * Summer: 85 to * Fall: 71 to * Winter: 42 to

Lake data

''Dam and Outlet Measurements'' Army Corps of Engineers *Length of dam: *Length of concrete section: *Maximum height of dam above stream bed: *Concrete in dam: *Earthen embankment: *Length of spillway: 551 gross feet *Spillway crest gates size: 45x37 feet *Outlet conduits size: 4x9 feet ''Dam elevations above mean sea level'' *Top of dam: *Spillway crest: ''Lake elevations above mean sea level'' *Top of flood control pool: *Top of normal pool: ''Surface area of lake'' *Flood control pool: *Normal pool: Table Rock Dam during April 2008 White River Flood

Table Rock Dam during April 2008 White River Flood

''Maximum storage capacity'' *Flood control pool: ''Shoreline length'' *Flood control pool: *Normal pool: ''Other'' *Power drawdown and dead: 2,702,000 *Lake total: 3,462,000 ''Power generating data'' *Number of generating units: 4 *Rated capacity for each unit: 50 megawatts *Station installed capacity: 200 megawatts

Flood control

Construction

The original purpose of the reservoir was

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 ...

on the White River, receiving congressional authorization under the Flood Control Act of 1941. Table Rock Dam, constructed from 1954 to 1958 at a cost of $65 million, confines Table Rock Lake and generates

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

. The reservoir has a fluctuation of . When the reservoir is above the maximum flood pool, excess water goes over the auxiliary overflow spillway at the north end of the dam.

2005 Dam Safety Project

Table Rock Dam’s spillway capacity was evaluated as a result of a dam safety program in the 1990s. Using improved weather data and more modern technology and safety requirements, engineers determined that the lake would rise ten feet higher during the worst-case flood than previously calculated. An event of this magnitude would overtop the earthen embankment and destroy Table Rock Dam with catastrophic losses in downstream areas, including Branson. After considering several options and gathering considerable public input, an auxiliary spillway was determined to be the best solution. The auxiliary spillway was completed in 2005 at a cost of approximately $65,000,000. Summary of projections: * At elevation 931 Table Rock Lake is at full flood capacity or flood pool. Water may begin to splash over the top of the closed Tainter gates and some of them usually begin to be slightly opened to accommodate additional lake inflow from the White River Basin including the James River and Beaver Lake discharge. If the Tainter Gates are not opened to release water via the dam spillway, water from the lake will begin to spill over those closed gates by approximately 933 feet. * At elevation 937 Table Rock Lake is 6 feet above flood capacity. All ten Tainter gates are opened wider in an effort to stabilize reservoir rise. Outflow from the Lake under these circumstances will be nearing 200-300 thousand cubic feet per second (CFS). * At elevation 942 Table Rock Lake is 11 feet above flood capacity and at its "design pool", or the maximum elevation that the reservoir is engineered to reach, under "probable maximum flood" scenarios. The dam’s ten Tainter gates will be fully raised to their maximum height of approximately 30 feet, releasing 550 thousand CFS into Lake Taneycomo. This scenario would effectively submerge and destroy the powerhouse, power transmission grid, hatchery, and wreak serious destruction downstream. * At elevation 947 Table Rock Dam would be at its maximum capacity and water would be at the very top of the dam. The auxiliary spillway would be brought online, in concert with Table Rock’s fully opened floodgates. This catastrophic or "last resort" protocol releases 1 million CFS of into Taneycomo and deals dreadful destruction to Branson, Hollister, Point Lookout and possibly the Powersite Dam. At this point there is a danger of water overtopping the concrete dam and breaching the earthen structure, which imminently leads to cataclysmic structural failure and the uncontrolled release of the Table Rock Lake impoundment—nearly 3 million CFS of water.

Historic Levels

Table Rock Lake has a record crest of 935.47 feet, which occurred on April 27, 2011. In December 2015, the dam released 72,001 CFS at its peak. This is the highest amount ever released.Little Rock District Corps of Engineers

Facilities and State Park

Sixteen public campgrounds are located around Table Rock Lake. Campgrounds are managed by several different agencies and campsites range from full-hookup to non-electric tent sites For details about each of the US Army Corps of Engineers parks, check out Recreation.gov. The US Army Corps of Engineers Dewey Short Visitor Center is located 6 miles west of US Hwy 65 on Missouri State Hwy 165 at the south end of Table Rock Dam. The visitor center has exhibits about the White River Watershed, local habitats, Table Rock Dam, and the US Army Corps of Engineers as well as several interactive exhibits including maps, power generation and water safety. It also features an overlook which allows visitors to view Table Rock Lake, the dam, and Lake Taneycomo from one viewing deck. The center shows a 20 minute film entitled, "Taming of the Riviera Blanche". This film is an introduction to the Table Rock Lake/White River area and details the construction and purpose of Table Rock Dam. The visitor center features a public-use dock, picnic areas, fishing, a lakeshore trail. Table Rock State Park provides public access to the lake. Six miles from Branson and located just south of the dam and outlet, facilities include a boat launch and full service marina (including cafe, boat rental and scuba dive shop), campground (including full RV hookups and a yurt), fishing access, swimming access (no beach), picnic area, amphitheater, hiking and mountain bike trails, and dump station.