Senator Wash Dam

About Senator Wash Dam

The primary purpose of Senator Wash Dam is water supply. The dam stores water for municipal, industrial, or agricultural use, helping ensure a reliable supply for the surrounding area. The dam is owned by Bureau Of Reclamation (federal). It impounds the Senator Wash.

The dam stands 96 feet tall and stretches 2,342 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 470 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 17,766 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 20 square miles. Completed in 1966, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 03/10/2021.

At 96 feet, this dam is taller than 98% 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 California dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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