Upper Dam

About Upper Dam

The primary purpose of Upper Dam is fire protection, stock, or small fish pond. The dam maintains a small impoundment used for fire suppression, livestock watering, or as a fish pond. The dam is owned by Briarcliff Estates Homeowners Assoc (private). It impounds the Badger Creek-tr near Augusta.

The dam stands 22 feet tall and stretches 650 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 17 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 272 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 1 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 poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 04/29/2021.

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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