Guernsey Dam is in a rocky canyon 2 miles upstream from Guernsey, Wyo. It is a diaphragm-type embankment of sluiced clay, sand, and gravel that for ms an impervious core. Its slopes are protected by a thick layer of rock riprap. The structural height of the dam is 135 feet. The powerplant is on the right bank below the dam and has two 2,400-kilowatt generators.
Power is transmitted to towns and industries down the valley over transmission lines.
Since 1909 water for the North Platte Project has been diverted from the river by the Whalen Diversion Dam. Water is diverted on the south side of the river into the Fort Laramie Canal and on the north side of the river into the Interstate Canal. The dam is a gravity, concrete ogee weir with an embankment wing which spans the river about 8 miles below Guernsey Dam. It also originally carried water for operating the Lingle Powerplant, which was retired in April 1956. The canal was constructed during 1915-24.