Lake "d"

About Lake "d"

The primary purpose of Lake "d" is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Davison, Timothy J & Barbara J (private). It impounds the Blacksmith Creek-tr near Topeka.

The dam stands 44 feet tall and stretches 500 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 9 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 158 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 1 square miles. Completed in 1965, the structure is well into its service life at over 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 poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 03/10/2011. That was 15 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 44 feet, this dam is taller than 90% 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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