Cedar-piney Creeks Watershed Site 2

About Cedar-piney Creeks Watershed Site 2

The primary purpose of Cedar-piney Creeks Watershed Site 2 is flood risk reduction. The dam is designed to control downstream flooding by temporarily storing excess water during storms and releasing it at a controlled rate. The dam is owned by Yell County Soil And Water Conservation District (local government). It impounds the Truett Creek near Havana.

The dam stands 57 feet tall and stretches 900 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 27 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 3,388 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 3 square miles. Completed in 1986, the structure is 40 years old.

This dam carries a high hazard potential classification, which means that a failure or uncontrolled release of water would likely cause loss of human life. This classification reflects the consequences of failure, not the likelihood — it indicates that people live or work in the area downstream. Its condition is rated fair — the dam has minor deficiencies that are being addressed or do not pose an immediate safety threat. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 02/28/2015. That was 11 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 57 feet, this dam is taller than 95% of all dams in the United States.

Living Downstream

If you live or work downstream of this dam, consider taking these steps: learn your local evacuation routes, check whether your county emergency management office has a dam failure inundation map, and sign up for local emergency alerts. The Arkansas dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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