Quote Originally Posted by Ed_D View Post
Dave,

Your reservoirs are managed differently from ours. Most of ours don't have 27.5 feet of surplus capacity over the normal pool levels.
Great fish for you.

Regards,
Ed
Normal pool water elevation at this reservoir is is 836'...the all-time record water elevation is 892'...2' above the emergency spillway!
56' of water above "normal"...is a LOT OF WATER. I'm sure there are plenty of reservoirs across the U.S. that can hold back even more than that. The reservoir designs are probably more a feature of the river valley's geography/topography than anything else. As far as how they are managed...This reservoir isn't currently used for power generation, its strictly floodwater management. If anywhere in the Mississippi or Missouri River watersheds get a lot of rain, they will hold back water in the Des Moines river system to alleviate flooding downstream.