Congress authorized construction of Stillwater Lake, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project in the Lackawanna Valley, to lessen the impacts of destructive floods such as those remembered from Hurricane Diane in the 1950s. The dam's primary purpose is to reduce the risk of floods in communities such as Forest City, Simpson, and Carbondale. The dam and lake control water flow through gates in a tower that regulate the amount of water leaving the lake through a tunnel, while operators restrict flow during flood events and release it gradually when downstream water levels recede. A concrete spillway prevents damage to the earth fill dam by allowing excess water to flow around it during extreme flooding. In 1993, melting snow and rainfall produced one of the highest pools ever at Stillwater Lake, and as the dam held back water and reduced flooding downstream, it demonstrated the project's flood risk management role. Since its completion in 1960, the dam has continued to protect lives and homes in the region and save millions of dollars in flood damages to downstream communities. The dam is 77 feet tall, almost as tall as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.