Lake Mckinney Dam

About Lake Mckinney Dam

Lake Mckinney Dam is a dam in Kearny, Kansas. The dam is owned by Garden City Company (private). It impounds the Arkansas River-tr Offstream near Deerfield.

The dam stands 37 feet tall and stretches 6,000 feet across, has a maximum storage capacity of 15,451 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 201 square miles. Completed in 1890, the structure is over a century 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 04/13/2022.

At 37 feet, this dam is taller than 84% 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.

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