News Release Archive

Reclamation Celebrates 50 Years of Service from Yellowtail Dam and Power Plant

Media Contact: Jerry Leggate, (406) 247-7611, jleggate@usbr.gov
Jack Conner, jconner@usbr.gov

For Release: August 31, 2016

BILLINGS, Mont. -- The Bureau of Reclamation will hold a celebration on September 10 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the construction of Yellowtail Dam, Power Plant and Afterbay Dam.

The public is invited to attend the celebration that will be held at the Yellowtail Dam Visitor Center at Yellowtail Dam near Fort Smith, Mont. The celebration will begin at 1 p.m. with Reclamation's Great Plains Regional Director Mike Ryan serving as Master of Ceremonies with comments provided by Montana Area Manager Steve Davies, Congressional offices, and select partners. The access road to the Visitor Center will be open at noon and the Visitor Center will be open during the event.

The Yellowtail Unit consists of Yellowtail Dam, Power Plant, and Afterbay Dam, completed in 1966. The facilities have provided substantial benefits to the American public through power generation, flood control, recreation, and water storage. Yellowtail Dam is a concrete thin arch structure which is 525 feet high and 1,480 feet long. Four 12-foot-diameter penstocks through the dam supply water to four 62,500 kilowatt generators in the power plant at the base of the dam. The Afterbay Dam is a 72-foot high concrete gravity structure with two embankment wings providing controlled releases into the Bighorn River.

Yellowtail Dam impounds Bighorn Lake which is 72 miles long when the reservoir is full. The area around the lake has been designated Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area and offers outstanding scenery and excellent fishing, boating and other recreational opportunities. The recreation area is managed by the National Park Service.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.

Relevant Link:

Montana Area Office Home Page