Melody Lake Dam

Melody Lake Dam is an earth dam located in Nelson County, Kentucky, built in 1958. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.

About Melody Lake Dam

The primary purpose of Melody Lake Dam 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 Melody Lake Inc (private). It impounds the Monks Creek near Gethsemane.

The dam stands 26 feet tall and stretches 700 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 59 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 86 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 3 square miles. Completed in 1958, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years old.

This dam has a low hazard potential classification, meaning that failure would cause minimal damage, limited primarily to the dam owner's property, with no expected loss of life. The most recent inspection on record was 11/04/2013. That was over 12 years ago.

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Low HazardNot Rated ConditionEmergency Action Plan: Not Required

Location

StateKentucky
CountyNelson
Nearest CityGethsemane
River/StreamMonks Creek
Coordinates37.68250, -85.48389

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height26 ft
Dam Height26 ft
Dam Length700 ft
Year Completed1958 (68 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage415 acre-ft
Max Storage86 acre-ft
Normal Storage415 acre-ft
Surface Area59 acres
Drainage Area3 sq mi
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeFlood Risk Reduction
OwnerMELODY LAKE INC
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentNot Rated
Last Inspection11/04/2013
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDKY00366
Federal IDKY00366
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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