Maple River Dam Spillway

The Maple River Dam is a pass-through dam that lets a limited amount of water flow through year round and fills the reservoir only during high flow. If the water rises high enough to fill the reservoir, water flows over the spillway shown in this photo.  Video taken at the same time is available online. 

Photograph was taken by U.S. Geological Survey while measuring streamflow into the reservoir, approximately 3,400 cubic feet per second. The public should not approach the dam.

The Maple River Dam is an earthen dam along the Maple River in southwest Cass County, N. Dak., and is owned and operated by the Cass County Joint Water Resource District. Construction was completed in 2006 to reduce the magnitude and duration of future flooding along the Maple, Sheyenne, Rush and Red Rivers in eastern North Dakota. The dam provides flood protection for downstream areas by temporarily impounding up to 60,000 acre-feet of water and reducing peak river stages along the Maple River, Sheyenne River, Rush River, and Red River in Cass County. Water runs over the concrete spillway at a stage of 48 feet or an elevation of approximately 1,048 feet.

The USGS has a streamflow gage representing inflow to the dam available online.