Many people will visit popular lakes across the Midwest this summer for recreation without ever knowing the reservoirs provide several other benefits.
These benefits include irrigation, water supply for domestic use, and habitats for fish and wildlife. One of their primary purposes, however, is to provide critical flood risk reduction.
Each year, the reservoir systems help save downstream communities from the potential loss of life and millions of dollars in flood damage. The reservoirs work together to collect and store water during high-water events and then release it once downstream flood risks have subsided.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, currently manages 35 tributary reservoirs with federally authorized flood control storage across several Upper Midwest and western states, including projects owned by USACE, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and local authorities.