New Fork Lake in Sublette, Wyoming, is a privately owned reservoir built in 1925 primarily for irrigation purposes. The dam, standing at 37 feet high and with a storage capacity of 25,700 acre-feet, is located on the West Fork of the New Fork River. The lake covers a surface area of 1,416 acres and has a drainage area of 31.9 square miles.
With a spillway width of 60 feet and a maximum discharge of 2,260 cubic feet per second, New Fork Lake is equipped to handle high hazard potential. The dam features an uncontrolled spillway and outlet gates, including slide gates and uncontrolled outlets. Regular inspections are conducted, with the last assessment done in August 2020, and the dam is regulated, permitted, and inspected by the Wyoming State Engineer's Office. Despite being privately owned, the dam is subject to state jurisdiction and enforcement.
New Fork Lake provides a vital water resource for irrigation in the region, serving as a key component of the local water infrastructure. Its strategic location in the West Fork of the New Fork River contributes to the overall water management system in the area. Enthusiasts interested in water resources and climate would find New Fork Lake a fascinating example of human-engineered infrastructure interacting with natural hydrological processes in the Wyoming landscape.
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