[3] Although designed to contain a maximum of 618,500 acre-feet (762,900,000 m3) of water, the lake never reached more than five percent of capacity,[4] and remains effectively empty.

[5] The Corps' website states in part (emphasis in original): All public use areas around the lake are land access points only, and do not offer swimming, boating, fishing or camping opportunities.

[7] In the end the project was authorized for flood control, drinking and irrigation water in the relatively dry Oklahoma panhandle, recreation, and fish and wildlife conservation.

[9] The dam was constructed of compacted earth fill embankment with gated outlet works and a 1,500 foot (460 m) long uncontrolled saddle spillway.

[7] With funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, about 161 decaying structures including picnic enclosures, campsites, restrooms, dump stations, and numerous power poles, were demolished by September 2010 for safety reasons.

[9] A spending controversy erupted in 2009, when the Corps wanted to use $1.2 million of economic stimulus money to replace rotting guardrails on each side of the paved road across the top of the Optima Dam used by approximately 15 cars a day.

[7] That same report indicated that existing dam structures (gate tower, stilling basin, uncontrolled spillway and outlet works) remained in operational condition.

[12] That concept for Optima was rejected in favor of an active water-containment reservoir;[12] however, the project as it currently exists is consistent with the dry lake option.

[7] Given Optima’s shortcomings, the Corps did an Appraisal Report in 1991 to explore modifying the project, recommending that a reconnaissance level study be conducted to evaluate possible alternatives.

[16] As presented at an October 5, 2022 public meeting, the Disposition Study considered multiple alternatives, including (but not limited to): (a) No Action (the continuation of existing operations), (b) retaining just the dam structure as a dry flood control reservoir, (c) transferring operations to another federal or state agency to maintain a flood control project, or (d) deauthorizing the entire project and disposing of all real property.