North Fork Little River Mps 4a

About North Fork Little River Mps 4a

The primary purpose of North Fork Little River Mps 4a 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 City Of Hopkinsville (local government). It impounds the North Fork Little River near Hopkinsville.

The dam stands 59 feet tall and stretches 680 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 170 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 7,830 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 7 square miles. Completed in 1966, 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 fair — the dam has minor deficiencies that are being addressed or do not pose an immediate safety threat. The most recent inspection on record was 10/08/2025.

At 59 feet, this dam is taller than 95% of all dams in the United States.

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 Kentucky dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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