Bear Lake

About Bear Lake

The primary purpose of Bear Lake 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 Bear Lake Home Association (private). It impounds the Kaw Creek-tr near Mahon.

The dam stands 48 feet tall and stretches 900 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 63 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 1,738 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 4 square miles.

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 12/14/2017. That was 8 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

At 48 feet, this dam is taller than 92% 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 Kansas dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

Search for dams near your address to see all dams in your area with hazard classifications and safety data.