“Big Dam Era,” a reference book for anyone interested in contemporary Missouri River water issues, is available online.
Written by John Ferrell, the book is a legislative and institutional history of the Pick-Sloan Missouri River basin program.
It follows the construction of Montana’s Fort Peck Dam in 1933 to the start of the Missouri River Master Water Control Manual in 1993.
The Flood Control Act of 1944 authorized the construction of numerous dams for flood control, hydropower, irrigation, navigation, water supply, water quality, recreation and fish and wildlife.
Gavins Point Dam, which created Lewis and Clark Lake in northeast Nebraska, is one of the dams built under the federal program, which provided flood protection for Omaha and other Missouri River cities.
“Big Dam Era” describes the evolution of these plans along with the many issues they raised.
The book has been out of print for several years but is now available at no cost in the Current Topics section of the Omaha District homepage: https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/ .
Contact the writer:
444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com
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