Lake Size: 50 km (19 mi)
Shoreline Length (Miles): 160 km (100 mi)
Deepest Depth: 15 m (50 ft)
Latitude: 39.333333
Longitude: -96.666667
Lake Level Above Sea Level: 328 m (1075 ft)
Counties: Riley County
Cities: Manhattan
Lake Management: Army Corps of Engineers

Information: The construction of the dam was given impetus by the Great Flood of 1951, which inundated downtown Manhattan. Nevertheless, the project met with heavy opposition from landowners whose land faced flooding. Residents of the Blue Valley organized opposition under the phrase "Let's quit this dam foolishness," and the campaign led to victory for Democrat Howard Shultz Miller in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1952. Although the opposition was heated, it failed to ultimately stop the dam. When the lake began filling up in 1962, it affected ten towns and entirely submerged many of them. The only one of these submerged towns to rebuild elsewhere was Randolph, where many of the streets are named after other towns that were submerged. The remnants of "Old Randolph", as it's known locally, can still be seen partially submerged to this day. The value of the dam was proven during the Great Flood of 1993, when floodwaters reaching up to 63 feet (19 m) above normal were held back. However, when the dam reached capacity in July 1993, it necessitated the first release of the spillway. All 18 gates on the spillway were raised 4 feet (1.2 m) during the peak of the flood, producing a flow rate of 60,000 cubic feet per second (1,700 m³/s). The roar of the water was audible half a mile (800 m) away and some people in nearby Manhattan reported hearing the noise. After three weeks the gates were closed, revealing a 20-foot (6.1 m) deep canyon that had been carved in the earth of the spillway channel. The exposed rock is 290 million years old. Locally, this area is known as "The Canyon" and is a popular fossil-hunting area.