Lake Darling Dam
Lake Darling Dam is an earthen embankment dam on the Souris River located northwest of Minot, in Ward County, North Dakota. The dam began impounding water in April 1936 and was completed July of that year. It was created for the purposes of water storage and conservation. It is part of the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge and is owned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The dam and lake are named after Jay N. "Ding" Darling, the first director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Although the dam is located in Ward County, Lake Darling is almost entirely located in Renville County, to its north.
The Fish and Wildlife Service owns and operates the dam during normal conditions. During flood conditions operational control is turned over to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers according to a 1989 memorandum of understanding. During the 2011 Souris River flood, the dam's reservoir reached maximum levels and releases of in early June, contributing to flooding downstream. By June 26, releases had reached and were incrementally reduced thereafter.
