Fresno Dam

Owner: Bureau of Reclamation
Location: Milk River, Hill County, Montana
Project Summary: Built in 1939 on the Milk River in north-central Montana, the 84-year-old homogenous embankment earth dam has experienced 7‐10 feet of settlement since construction. Reclamation evaluated the risk associated with differential settlement‐driven cracking and internal erosion and determined that a modification was required. To mitigate the risk, NW Construction will add a sand and gravel filter and toe drain system, with an embankment fill overlay and a vertical sand filter trench. 

Fresno Dam, located on the Milk River 14 miles west of Havre, Montana, is a compacted earthfill dam with a structural height of 110 feet and a crest length of 2,070 feet. It contains 2,105,000 cubic yards of material. An overflow-type spillway at the north end of the dam provides for a flow of 51,360 cubic feet per second through the concrete-lined channel. The outlet works discharge a maximum of 2,500 cubic feet per second through two 72-inch steel pipe conduits. A conservation storage of 91,746 acre-feet is impounded in Fresno Reservoir. Project benefits include irrigation and municipal water supply, fish and wildlife enhancement, flood control, and recreation.