Orwell Dam
Dam in Otter Tail County, Minnesota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Orwell Dam (National ID # MN00574) is a dam in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, about six miles southwest of Fergus Falls.
| Orwell Dam | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Orwell Dam | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Otter Tail County, Minnesota |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 1953 |
| Designed by | United States Army Corps of Engineers, |
The earthen gravity dam was constructed in 1953 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, with a height of 60 feet and a length of 1355 feet at its crest.[1] It impounds the Otter Tail River for flood control, irrigation water storage, and municipal drinking water.[2] The dam is owned and operated by the St. Paul District, Mississippi Valley Division, Corps of Engineers.
The reservoir it creates, Orwell Lake, has a normal water surface of 1.3 square miles, with a maximum capacity of 20,600 acre-feet.[3] Recreation includes hunting, boating, and fishing (for walleye, northern, crappie and redhorse sucker).[4]