Saylorville Lake
![](/Images/godic/202502/09/USACE_Saylorville_Lake_and_Dam1109.jpg")
![Barrier Dam, the second dam impounding Saylorville Lake. View is to the southeast.](/Images/godic/202502/09/USACE_Barrier_Dam_Lake_Saylorville1109.jpg")
![Saylorville Lake in the winter as seen from an airplane](/Images/godic/202502/09/Saylorville_Lake1109.JPG")
Saylorville Lake is a reservoir on the Des Moines River in Iowa. It is located 11 miles (18 km) upstream from the city of Des Moines, and 214 miles (344 km) from the mouth of the Des Moines River at the Mississippi River. It was constructed as part of a flood control system for the Des Moines River as well as to aid in controlling flood crests on the Mississippi, of which the Des Moines is a tributary.