Buffalo Bill Dam

Overview

Buffalo Bill Dam, on the Shoshone River about 6 miles upstream from Cody, WY, is a concrete arch structure of constant radius. The structural height is 350 feet and the volume is 87,515 cubic yards. It is one of the first high concrete dams built in the United States. The reservoir impounds 646,565 acre-feet of water. The Shoshone Powerplant is near the base of Buffalo Bill Dam.

Competent granitic rock of pre-Cambrian age. Some major to minor jointing and occasional thin shear seams are present. No critical unstable rock masses are known to be present in the immediate vicinity. Very little plucking of rock fragments occurred in the old unlined spillway tunnel.

General

Region	Facilities in Great Plains \| Great Plains Home Page
State	Wyoming
County	Park
Project	Shoshone
Dam Type
Reservoir	Buffalo Bill
Watercourse	Shoshone River
Location	Six miles upstream from Cody, Wyoming.
Longitude	-109.1100
Latitude	44.3002
Net Generation	56,288,100 kWh
Original Construction	1905-1910
Modified Construction	1915, 1922-1923, 1959, 1986-1994 (dam height raised 25 ft)
National ID Number	WY01300
Hydrologic Unit Code

Dimensions

Structural Height	350.00 ft
Hydraulic Height (Normal Operating Depth at Dam)	265.00 ft
Top Parapet (Elevation)
Spillway Crest Elevation	5,295.00 ft
Crest Elevation	5,395.00 ft
Crest Length	200.00 ft
Crest Width	10.00 ft
Base Width	108.00 ft
Volume of Dam Construction Materials	87,515.00 cu yd (does not include spillway structure)
Streambed at Dam Axis
Top of Exclusive Flood Control Pool (Elevation)
Top of Joint Use Pool (Elevation)
Top of Active Conservation Pool (Elevation)	5,393.50 ft
Top of Inactive Conservation Pool (Elevation)	5,259.60 ft
Top of Dead Storage Pool (Elevation)	5,158.00 ft

Hydraulics & Hydrology

Total Water Storage at Elevation	646,565.00 acre-ft at 5,393.50 ft
Maximum Water Surface Elevation
Normal Water Surface Elevation
Spillway Type	Controlled concrete lined tunnel through left abutment.
Auxiliary Spillway
Spillway Capacity at Elevation	84,725.00 cfs at 5,410.00 ft
Auxiliary Spillway Capacity at Elevation
Uncontrolled Spillway Capacity at Elevation
Outlet Works Capacity at Elevation	Left abutment: 3,358.00 cfs; Lower level: 450.00 cfs at 5,393.50 ft
Diversion Capacity at Elevation
Drainage Area
Hydrometeorological Report (HMR)
Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) Report

Contact Information

Owner

Title	Facility Manager
Organization	Big Horn Basin Field Office
Address	#4 Reclamation Road
City	Cody, WY 82414
Phone (Office)	307-527-6256 (ext. 260)

Operator

Title	Facility Manager
Organization	Big Horn Basin Field Office
Address	#4 Reclamation Road
City	Cody, WY 82414
Phone (Office)	307-527-6256 (ext. 260)

Last updated: Apr 30, 2013