Authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 for flood control and streamflow regulation, this dam and reservoir were completed in April 1944 in just three months, giving rise to the name "The 90-Day Wonder." The project was carried out for World War II efforts and was finished just before D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history. The reservoir is Ohio's second largest inland lake, 9.6 miles long and covering 7,850 surface acres, with a 97-square-mile drainage area above the dam. The dam is 5,650 feet long, 47 feet tall, and 430 feet wide at the base. Its outlet works consist of two 8-foot by 8-foot by 350-foot conduits, four 4-foot by 8-foot sluice gates, and two 2-foot by 2-foot low-flow gate valves. The reservoir also supplies water to the City of Warren through three 3-foot by 4-foot gates. Most of the lake is leased to ODNR Parks and Watercraft and the ODNR Division of Wildlife for resource and recreation management. Construction of the dam cost $4,035,000.00, and it has since prevented about $519,763,000.00 in flood damage.
