Francis

About Francis

The primary purpose of Francis is irrigation. The dam stores and diverts water for agricultural irrigation, supporting farming operations in the surrounding area. The dam is private-owned. It impounds the Negro Creek Camas Creek near Hill City.

The dam stands 33 feet tall and stretches 390 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 40 acres, has a storage capacity of 330 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 3 square miles. Completed in 1914, the structure is over a century old.

This dam has a significant hazard potential classification, meaning that a failure could cause significant economic damage — flooding roads, bridges, or property downstream — but is not expected to result in loss of life. Its condition is rated fair — the dam has minor deficiencies that are being addressed or do not pose an immediate safety threat. The most recent inspection on record was 06/02/2020.

At 33 feet, this dam is taller than 78% of dams nationwide.

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