Bull Shoals Dam

36°21′58″N 92°34′29″W / 36.36611°N 92.57472°W / 36.36611; -92.57472Construction began1947Opening date1951Owner(s)U.S. Army Corps of EngineersDam and spillwaysType of damConcrete gravityHeight256 feet (78 m)Length2,256 feet (688 m)Dam volume2,100,000 cubic yards (1,600,000 m³)Spillways17 gate-controlled baysSpillway capacity112,200 cubic feet per second (3,180 m³/s)ReservoirCreatesBull Shoals LakeTotal capacity5,760,000 acre-feet (7.10 km³)Active capacity3,400,000 acre-feet (4.2 km³)Catchment area6,036 square miles (15,630 km²)Surface area71,240 acres (28,830 ha)Maximum length87 miles (140 km)Normal elevation695 feet (212 m) (max)Power StationTurbines4x 45-MW units, 4x 50-MW unitsInstalled capacity380 MWAnnual generation883,910,000 KWh^[1]

Bull Shoals Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the White River in northern Arkansas in the United States. The dam lies on the border of Marion and Baxter Counties, and forms Bull Shoals Lake, which extends well northwest into Missouri. Its main purposes are hydroelectricity production and flood control.

The dam was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in response to severe flooding between 1915 and 1927. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized the construction of the dam as well as six others on the White River and its tributaries in the Flood Control Act of 1938. Construction started in June 1947 and the dam was completed in July 1951. When finished, the dam was one of the largest concrete structures in the world. From its completion until 2009, it is estimated that the dam has prevented about $225.5 million in flood damages.^[2][3]