Como Dam

Lake Como
Como Dam and Reservoir
Lake Como Show map of Montana Lake Como Show map of the United States
Location	Ravalli County, Montana, United States
Coordinates	46°03′16″N 114°15′40″W[1]
Type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Rock Creek, Little Rock Creek
Primary outflows	Rock Creek
Catchment area	56.4 sq mi (146 km^2)[2]
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	3 mi (4.8 km)
Max. width	3,200 ft (980 m)
Surface area	1.4 sq mi (3.6 km^2)
Water volume	38,500 acre-feet (47,500,000 m^3)
Surface elevation	4,252 feet (1,296 m)[1]

Como Dam (National Inventory of Dams ID MT00564) is a dam in Ravalli County, Montana, in the far western part of the state.

Como Dam was originally constructed by local farmers around 1910, to impound a natural lake for irrigation storage; the United States Bureau of Reclamation enhanced and stabilized that structure in 1954, in 1976, and in 1992-1993. The dam is 85 feet (26 m) high, with a length of 2,550 feet (780 m) at its crest. As part of the larger Bitter Root Project, the dam and reservoir are both owned by the local Bitter Root Project Irrigation District.^[2]

The reservoir it creates, Lake Como, has a water surface of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) and normal storage of 38,495 acre-feet (47,483,000 m³). Recreation includes fishing, camping, and boating. The site is surrounded by the Bitterroot National Forest.^[3]

Concerns that the lack of an Early Warning System on the dam could lead to catastrophic loss of life in the Bitterroot Valley in the event of nighttime inundation led officials to take measures to ensure the safety of the dam in 2017.^[4]

References

1. "Lake Como". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. "Como Dam". Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
3. "Lake Como". Montana Office of Tourism. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
4. "Officials take measures to ensure safety of dam at Lake Como". Missoulian. April 9, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2020.

External links

• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MT-89-A, "Bitter Root Irrigation Project, Como Dam, West of U.S. Highway 93, Darby, Ravalli County, MT", 27 photos, 3 photo caption pages