The Missouri is the longest river in the United States, flowing more than 2,500 miles from its source on the eastern slope of the Rockies near Three Forks, Montana, to its confluence with the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri. What controls all that water is a series of dams and the most important of those are located in Montana. This episode of the the Montana Outdoor Podcast explores how those dams in Montana are managed, especially the granddaddy of them all, the Fort Peck Dam!
When the Fort Peck Dam was completed in 1940 it was the largest Dam in the World! The dam is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. On this podcast your hosts Downrigger Dale and The Captain are joined by the Operations Project Manager of the Fort Peck Dam Darin McMurry. Darin is one fascinating guy and gave all kinds of information about how this incredibly important dam is managed and how the decisions that are made there not only affect Montana but everything that happens downstream all the way to the Gulf of Mexico!
When you listen to this Podcast you will learn how the dams along the Missouri River in Montana help manage the risk of flooding, how they help keep the barges moving in the Mississippi River, they help keep Americas Farmlands irrigated and much more! Downrigger also asked Darin about some the myths and mysteries of the Dam and it's huge reservoir. Things like is it true that divers that clean the drain screens have seen creatures that defy the imagination? Is there really one button that if pushed could send all that water pouring across America? Who really makes the decisions on how much water is sent down the Missouri River? You will learn the answers to those questions and so much more!
If you would like to get more questions answered by Darin McMurry just click here to email Downrigger and he will get in touch with Darin and get your questions answered. You can also visit the Army Corps of Engineers Facebook page for Fort Peck Dam and Reservoir by clicking here. You can get information about the Fort Peck Interpretive Center, which is an incredible place to visit if you are near Fort Peck Montana, by clinking here.
Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.