Cooney Dam

Cooney Dam (National Inventory of Dams ID MT00001) is a dam in Carbon County, Montana, that creates Cooney Reservoir.

Cooney Reservoir
Cooney Reservoir
Location	Carbon County, Montana
Coordinates	45°26′38″N 109°13′19″W [1]
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Red Lodge Creek, Willow Creek, Chapman Creek
Primary outflows	Red Lodge Creek
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	2.3 miles (3.7 km)
Max. width	1.1 miles (1.8 km)
Surface area	1,078 acres (436 ha)
Water volume	28,230 acre-feet (34,820,000 m3)[2]
Surface elevation	4,222 feet (1,287 m)[1]

The earthen dam was constructed in 1937 by the State of Montana, with a height of 97 feet (30 m), and a length of 2,260 feet (690 m) at its crest.^[3] It impounds Red Lodge Creek for irrigation water storage. The dam is owned and operated by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

The reservoir it creates, Cooney Reservoir, has a normal water surface of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), a maximum storage capacity of 24,195 acre-feet (29,844,000 m³), and a normal capacity of 14,000 acre-feet (17,000,000 m³).^[4] Recreation includes boating, camping, hiking, and fishing for walleye and rainbow trout.^[5] The state maintains the adjacent Cooney State Park.^[6]

References

1. "Cooney Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. "Cooney Dam Fact Sheet" (PDF). Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
3. "Cooney". National Performance of Dams Program, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Stanford University. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
4. "Cooney, southcentral Montana". FindLakes. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
5. "Cooney Reservoir". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
6. "Cooney, MT". Reserve America. Retrieved October 16, 2012.