Rye Patch Dam is camouflaged by its surroundings. Only the concrete arches of the spillway gate detract from the natural setting. Rye Patch Dam is an earthfill structure. A total of 322,900 cubic yards of compacted earthfill covered by 9,800 cubic yards of gravel and 36,200 cubic yards of rockfill and riprap forms the Rye Patch Dam. The foundation is a mixture of clay, sand, and fine gravel.
Hoists lift the gates on the operating platform.
A 30-foot wide roadway spans the top of the spillway arches. The outlet works can release 1,000 cubic feet per second. A trash rack covers the outlet entrance into a 12-foot diameter concrete lined circular tunnel running 472 feet where two sets of high pressure slide gates control flow into two steel discharge pipes. Inspecting and operating gates are in a gate chamber and a control house, connected by a section of the tunnel. Maximum capacity is 2,700 cubic feet per second and discharge is into the spillway stilling basin.