US Army Corps of Engineers
Omaha District Website

Home / Missions / Dam and Lake Projects

Recreation, Dams & Hydropower

Fact Sheets

Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Prevent invasive species Water Safety Reserve a campsite at USACE campgrounds at Recreation.gov Purchase Navigation and Boating Maps from the Jefferson National Parks Association

Lake Guard App
Test your speed, reflexes and boating knowledge with the Corps' new Lake Guard game app. The free app teaches users about water safety gear and boating hazards preparing them for real life experiences in or around the water.
Learn MoreWater Safety
Missouri River Basin Balancer
The Missouri River Basin Balancer offers insight into the inland waterway of the Missouri River and its system of reservoirs, which are operated with a goal for serving each of the benefits, flood control, navigation, hydropower, irrigation, water supply, recreation, fish and wildlife, and water quality, for which the Mainstem reservoirs were authorized and constructed. Users can take charge of river operations and experience the unique challenges presented when managing reservoir operations in a variety of weather conditions across a geographically diverse basin.
Missouri River Basin Balancer
Picnicing at Gavins Point Project
A group picnics at the Training Dike Recreation area at Gavins Point Project
East Totten Trail Campground
The East Totten Trail Campground is among the several public recreation areas on Lake Sakakawea near Riverdale, N.D.
Chatfield Dam and Lake
Chatfield dam and reservoir are owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps leases 5,381 land and water acres to the State of Colorado Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation to operate Chatfield State Park.
Fort Randall Dam and Lake Francis Case
Lake Francis Case and Fort Randall Dam are located within the rolling plain of the Missouri Plateau, and bordered by rugged bluffs, broken by a complex of eroded canyons and ravines and has become one of the most popular recreation spots in the Great Plains. Fort Randall Dam lies within view of the military post from which it takes its name. The name of the original fort honored Colonel Daniel W. Randall, one-time deputy paymaster of the Army.
Dam and Hydropower projects are part of what makes the Corps the largest provider of water-based outdoor recreation in the nation. The Omaha District has several lake and river projects providing diverse recreational opportunities.
Collapse All Expand All
 
Visitors of all ages can enjoy traditional activities like hiking, boating, fishing, camping and hunting, and for those slightly more adventurous there is snorkeling, windsurfing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking and geo-caching. Regardless of your favorite outdoor activity one thing is certain, recreation enriches people's lives. A visit to an Army Corps of Engineers' recreation area can strengthen family ties and friendships; create unforgettable memories and connect people to nature that will last a lifetime.
 
Between 1932 and 1957, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built six main stem dams and many smaller dams along Missouri River tributaries. These, along with a system of federal and private levees, reduce flooding risks for urban and agricultural property and lives throughout the Missouri River watershed. The Omaha District estimates that this system has prevented an estimated billions in damages in today's dollars.
 
Many of these projects, which were built primarily for navigation, flood control or other purposes, are also used for hydropower production. The Corps is the Nation's largest single producer of hydroelectricity. Nationwide, the Corps operates 75 hydropower projects, housing 349 generator units with a total capacity of 20.7 million kilowatts, or about 3.5 percent of the Nation's total electric power production.

Recreation Area News Releases

  • Road across Gavins Point Dam temporarily closing March 31

    Crest Road crossing Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota, will close for an extended period to allow contractors to re-seal the monolith (expansion) joints in the powerhouse. The road will close at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31, and will be closed for approximately four weeks.

  • Ice fishing access sites begin to close down

    Several ice fishing access sites at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Omaha District, Garrison Project, are closed for the season.

  • Army Corps of Engineers modifying operations at recreation areas due to Coronavirus

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced today that it has begun the orderly shutdown of all USACE-managed campgrounds to protect against the further spread of coronavirus disease 2019. Visitor centers, beaches, special events, and USACE-sponsored events such as shore sweeps, interpretive programs, Kids to Parks Day, Earth Day events, public meetings and other public gatherings at all USACE-managed sites and facilities have also been closed and/or put on hold until further notice.  

  • Corps closes visitor centers, suspends tours

    Due to health and safety precautions regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus), all U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Omaha District Visitor Centers will be closed and all public group tours and events and have been cancelled until further notice.

  • Fort Peck announces winter access for motorized vehicles

    Recreationists accessing Fort Peck Lake, Montana, and the Dredge Cuts this winter are reminded that motorized vehicles are only permitted on developed access routes, such as public roads, numbered roads, boat ramps or designated ice access routes within U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Recreation Areas.