Numerical models were employed to investigate the hydrodynamics of water flow in the lake behind a dam and the spillway where supercritical flows and negative pressures are likely to occur. In this study, 2-D model, RMA2 was employed to examine the upstream flow pattern and 3-D CFD model, FLUENT was used to evaluate the three-dimensional flow in the approaching region and flow distributions in the spillways and discharge culverts. The bathymetry and the details of structures were carefully taken into consideration in building the models. The results from applying the 2-D model for the planned Hantan River Dam show that large eddies, the velocity of which reaches up to 1 m/s are occurring in several places upstream of the dam. That means that the 2-D numerical model could be utilized to investigate the two-dimensional flow patterns after the construction of a dam. Three-dimensional numerical results show that the approach flow varies depending on stages and discharge conditions, and velocities at spillways, discharge culverts, and sediment flushing tunnels are differently distributed. The velocity distributions obtained from the numerical model and a hydraulic model at the centerline of spillways 100 m upstream of the dam show reasonably similar results. It is expected that 2-D and 3-D numerical models ate useful tools to help optimize the dam design through investigating the flow patterns in the spillway and at the upstream of the dam, which is not always feasible in hydraulic modeling.