Red Rock Dam (Iowa)
| Red Rock Dam (Iowa) | |
|---|---|
 (Army Corps of Engineers) |
|
| Official name | Red Rock Dam |
| Location | Marion County, Iowa, USA |
| Coordinates | 41°22′21″N 92°58′51″W / 41.3725°N 92.98083°WCoordinates: 41°22′21″N 92°58′51″W / 41.3725°N 92.98083°W |
| Construction began | 1960 |
| Opening date | 1969 |
| Construction cost | $88,000,000 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 110 ft (34 m) |
| Length | 5,676 ft (1,730 m) |
| Base width | 13.4 ft (4 m) (concrete base) |
| Impounds | Des Moines River |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Red Rock |
| Capacity | 114,400 cubic feet (= max outflow) |
| Surface area | 15,250 acres (61.7 km2) |
Red Rock Dam is a dam in central Iowa on the Des Moines River, forming Lake Red Rock. It is contained entirely within Marion County. The nearest cities are Pella to the northeast, and Knoxville to the southwest.
The dam consists of a rolled earthfill embankment and a gravity concrete control section. The dam, at crest elevation of 797 feet (243 m) above mean sea level, is about 5,200 feet (1,600 m) long and 95 feet (29 m) high above the flood plain. A compacted impervious cutoff trench to bedrock and a grout curtain in the rock are provided for underseepage control.[1]
It was constructed along with Saylorville Dam as a flood control project by the US Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District. Major flooding occurred in 1851, 1859, 1903, 1944, 1947, and 1954.[2] In 1960, the Corps began construction. The project was completed in 1969 at a cost of $88 million. The Army Corps maintains its local offices in Knoxville
Extensive recreational development along the lakeshore rapidly followed.
