Square Butte Dam No. 6 is about 95 percent complete. By February, the newly installed gates will be closed in anticipation of collecting spring runoff waters to create what many expect will be one of the state's premier recreation areas.

Better known as the Harmon Lake Recreation Area, the project has consumed the efforts of the Morton County Water Resource District, said the water board's vice president, Wade Bachmeier.

It's a project that has been nearly 40 years in the making as part of the Square Butte Creek watershed plan. Originally meant for flood control, the sixth dam in the project has turned into what the Morton water board and State Water Commission expect to be an outstanding recreation area while still meeting its original mission.

The project is located just north of Mandan, west of Highway 1806 and south of County Road 140. There are 1,054 acres; at the picturesque center will lie a 144-acre lake with a maximum depth of 38 feet, under normal operating conditions. Dam No. 6, located on the east side of the land, is 67 feet high and 2,100 feet long.

Between $7 million and $8 million has been spent in building the recreation area, said water district consultant Ron Sando. This included engineering, dam construction, preparing the site and some recreational features such as a boat ramp, interior roads, two sand beaches and tree plantings. Most of the funding has come from the federal government through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, but about 28 percent was local funds, which included help from the State Water Commission.

Some of the recreation aspects had to be put in prior to the lake filling, Bachmeier said. Now, the big task is at hand, raising the funds for what Bachmeier called the Cadillac of recreation amenities. The water district's federal partner, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, has made a federal funding request of $2.5 million for recreation features at Harmon Lake. If the money is made available, the Morton water district will have to match it with its own $2.5 million in order to use the federal funds.

When completed, it's estimated that nearly $12 million will be spent on the project. Among the many recreational features envisioned are: an overnight camping area; an entrance building; a four-season multi-use building; a beach area with volleyball courts, a playground, shelters and a bath house with showers; a boating area, where a two-lane concrete ramp is already in place and will be jointed by a courtesy dock, restrooms and fish cleaning station; a day-use park to include fields for soccer, softball and football; a seven-mile trail that connects into the Legacy Trail being built from Mandan along 1806; and a horse riding area.

The Harmon Lake recreation area will be reminiscent of the McDowell Dam recreation area east of Bismarck, but there are some important differences. While the two sites are nearly the same depth, Harmon Lake will have nearly three times the surface area and, most importantly, it will draw on a drainage area of about 35 square miles as compared to the six miles that serve McDowell. Further comparison shows that Harmon will be about the same depth but only half the size of Sweet Briar, which has a drainage area of 154 square miles.

The dam has been built in a manner that will allow for refreshing of the water from the bottom. The drainage area should easily serve the needs of the lake, keeping it at optimal levels throughout the year. And, should a long-term drought threaten the lake, it is close enough to the Missouri that water could be piped to Harmon if necessary.

North Dakota Game and Fish has also partnered in the project, helping to provide the boat ramp and eventually other features. NDGF will be stocking the lake for fishing. The lake will be designated "no-wake," which will prohibit larger, motorized watercraft.

Current plans are that there will be no charge for use of the lake or day-use areas. But the camping area, with its own beach and 80 stalls with power and some water hook-ups, is hoped to be a revenue generator.

At some point, Harmon Lake Recreation Area will be transferred to the Morton County Parks Department under the auspices of Vern Davis. The county parks director has been in discussions with the county commission on what it will cost for operations and management of the new recreation area. Davis said h expected the annual cost will be at least $60,000, which will include a full-time caretaker and part-time help. There will also be equipment costs for mowers, pickups and more, which may cost up to $100,000, he said.

"If you're going to put in a first-class facility, you better have first-class maintenance," Davis told the water board.

Andy Mork, a longtime water board member who recently stepped down, said there will have to be some investment from those jurisdictions east of the Missouri River in Bismarck and Burleigh County. With more than two-thirds of the area's population living there, Mork said he expected that many of the people using Harmon will be crossing the river.

"It's always a struggle to raise money," Mork said. "I hope we can get some contributions from Bismarck and Burleigh to help with development."

All that remains is to fill the lake, Bachmeier said. And how fast it can be filled will be up to Mother Nature. A winter, such as that experienced by this area in 1997, could fill the lake in one season.

But Bachmeier is more conservative in his expectations. A normal winter should put about 15 feet of water in Harmon Lake next summer, which could make it suitable for some canoeing.

It may take two or three years to fill Harmon Lake and several more before it becomes the recreation area that the Morton water board has been working toward. But when completed, it may well be a Morton County oasis.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)