Mills Lake Dam
Mills Lake Dam is an earth dam located in Owen County, Indiana, built in 1970. It carries a Significant hazard potential classification and has a poor condition assessment.
About Mills Lake Dam
The primary purpose of Mills Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Doug Shaffer (private).
The dam stands 20 feet tall and stretches 285 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 8 acres, has a storage capacity of 73 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1970, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years 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 poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. The most recent inspection on record was 03/19/2001. That was over 25 years ago.
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Location
| State | Indiana |
| County | Owen |
| Coordinates | 39.36731, -86.91352 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 20 ft |
| Dam Height | 20 ft |
| Dam Length | 285 ft |
| Year Completed | 1970 (56 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 73 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 73 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 8 acres |
| Drainage Area | 0 sq mi |
| Max Discharge | 35 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Doug Shaffer |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | Significant |
| Condition Assessment | Poor |
| Last Inspection | 03/19/2001 |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | IN00472 |
| Federal ID | IN00472 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |