Little Sandy - Trail Creek W/s Str. #16

About Little Sandy - Trail Creek W/s Str. #16

The primary purpose of Little Sandy - Trail Creek W/s Str. #16 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 Athens-clarke County Board Of Commissioners;oconee River Swcd (state). It impounds the Unknown near Athens.

The dam stands 31 feet tall and stretches 845 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 14 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 508 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 783 square miles. Completed in 1976, the structure is 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. Its condition is rated satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 03/22/2017. That was 9 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

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 Georgia dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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