, the largest freshwater spring in the Ozarks, discharges of water per day into the
Current River. on
Lake of the Ozarks,
Camden County, Missouri Many of the rivers and streams in the Ozarks have been dammed. Most of the dams in the region were initially built for the dual purpose of
flood control and
hydropower generation but have also become major economic drivers through recreational use in places such as Branson, Missouri, and Mountain Home, Arkansas. The
Army Corps of Engineers among others, operates multiple dams in the Ozarks region. Some of the largest lakes created by these dams are on the
White River. Beginning in 1911 with the construction of Powersite Dam on the White River near Branson, Missouri and the impoundment of
Lake Taneycomo the Ozarks rivers have been harnessed for electrical power, recreation, and flood control. After President
Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Flood Control Act of 1938, six large flood control dams were constructed on the White River and its tributaries. • Beaver Dam on the White River – Beaver Lake • Table Rock Dam on the White River – Table Rock Lake • Bull Shoals Dam on the White River – Bull Shoals Lake • Norfork Dam on the North Fork River – Norfork Lake • Greers Ferry Lake on the Little Red River – Greers Ferry Lake • Clearwater Dam on the Black River – Clearwater Lake Multiple smaller lakes have been created by dams in the White River basin from 1911 through 1960. These smaller lakes include Lake Sequoyah, a small recreational fishing lake east of
Fayetteville, Arkansas, formed in 1961; Sequoyah is the uppermost impoundment on the White River. Below Sequoyah (northeast of Fayetteville) is
Beaver Lake, formed in 1960. The White River continues northeasterly into
Table Rock Lake (1958) in Missouri, which feeds directly into Lake Taneycomo, where the river zigzags southeasterly into Arkansas forming
Bull Shoals Lake along the Arkansas-Missouri line. Completed in 1952, Bull Shoals is the furthest downstream lake on the White River proper.
Norfork Lake was formed by damming the
North Fork River, a tributary of the White River, in 1941. Additional large lakes in the Ozarks region include
Lake of the Ozarks,
Pomme de Terre Lake, and
Truman Lake in the northern Ozarks. These three lakes were formed by impounding the
Osage River and its tributary the
Pomme de Terre River in 1931, 1961 and 1979 respectively.
Grand Lake o' the Cherokee in northeast Oklahoma, on the western portion of the Ozark Plateau, was created in 1940 with the damming of the Grand River.
Stockton Lake was formed in 1969 by damming the
Sac River near the city of
Stockton, Missouri, and supplements the water supply of
Springfield in nearby
Greene County. The creation of the lakes significantly altered the Ozark landscape and affected traditional Ozark culture through displacement. Many cemeteries, farm roads, river fords and railways were lost when the lakes came, disrupting rural culture, travel and commerce.
Baxter County, Arkansas, alone saw nearly 400 people displaced to make way for the reservoir created by
Norfork Dam. The town of
Forsyth, Missouri, was relocated in its entirety to a spot from its previous location. Prior to damming, rivers and streams in the White and Osage River basins were of similar character to the current conditions of the
Buffalo,
Elk,
Niangua,
Gasconade,
Big Piney,
Current,
Jacks Fork,
Eleven Point and
Meramec rivers. In Missouri, the
Ozark National Scenic Riverways was established in 1964 along the
Current and
Jacks Fork rivers as the first US national park based on a river system. The
Eleven Point River is included in the
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System established in 1968. These parks and rivers are a major economic driver for some of the least populated counties in Arkansas and Missouri, attracting up to 1.5 million tourists annually. Many other waterways and streams have their headwaters in the Boston Mountains portion of the Ozarks such as the
Mulberry River, the White River, War Eagle Creek, Little Mulberry Creek, Lee Creek, Big Piney Creek, and the Little Red River. To the south, the Arkansas River valley separates the Boston Mountains from the Ouachita Mountains. Missouri Ozark rivers include the
Gasconade,
Big Piney, and
Niangua rivers in the north central region. The
Meramec River and its tributaries
Huzzah Creek and
Courtois Creek are found in the northeastern Ozarks. The
Black and
St. Francis rivers mark the eastern crescent of the Ozarks. The
James,
Spring and
North Fork rivers are in south-central Missouri. Forming the west central border of the Ozarks from Missouri through Kansas and into Oklahoma are the
Spring River and its tributary, Center Creek. Grand Falls, Missouri's largest natural waterfall, a
chert outcropping, includes bluffs and
glades on Shoal Creek south of
Joplin. All these river systems see heavy recreational use in season, including the
Elk River in southwestern Missouri and its tributary
Big Sugar Creek. Ozark rivers and streams are typically clear water, with
baseflows sustained by many
seeps and
springs, and flow through forests along
limestone and
dolomite bluffs. Gravel bars are common along shallow banks, while deep holes are found along bluffs. Except during periods of heavy rain or snow melt — when water levels rise quite rapidly — their level of difficulty is suitable for most canoeing and tubing. Fish hatcheries are common due to the abundance of springs and waterways. private hatcheries such as at
Rockbridge are found throughout the region. ==Regional economy==