Little Sandy - Trail Creek W/s Str. #10

About Little Sandy - Trail Creek W/s Str. #10

The primary purpose of Little Sandy - Trail Creek W/s Str. #10 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 Consolidated Government (local government). It impounds the Little Sandy Creek near Athens.

The dam stands 50 feet tall and stretches 1,640 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 257 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 11,695 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 29,090 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 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 03/22/2017. That was 9 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

At 50 feet, this dam is taller than 93% of dams nationwide.

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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