Truman Dam controls the flow into Lake of the Ozarks

Truman Dam, near Warsaw, impounds the Osage River to form Truman Lake and sits upstream of Lake of the Ozarks. Because the Osage flows from Truman down into Lake of the Ozarks, releases from Truman Dam feed the lake below it, so the two reservoirs are part of one connected river system rather than two unrelated lakes. The dam is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project managed by the Kansas City District, which operates it for purposes that typically include flood control, hydropower, and recreation. For Benton County residents that connection matters in practical ways: lake levels, flows, and recreation on both bodies of water are shaped by how the dam is operated. Confirm the dam’s specific authorized purposes and operations with the Corps before stating them as fact.