Rainy River Dam

Rainy River Dam is an earth dam located in Montmorency County, Michigan, built in 1960. It carries a Low hazard potential classification and has a satisfactory condition assessment.

About Rainy River Dam

The primary purpose of Rainy River Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Mdnr Wildlife (state). It impounds the West Branch Upper Rainy River near Cheboygan.

The dam stands 11 feet tall and stretches 296 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 270 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 1,755 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 11 square miles. Completed in 1960, 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. Its condition is rated satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. The most recent inspection on record was 07/14/2016.

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Low HazardSatisfactory ConditionEmergency Action Plan: Not Required

Location

StateMichigan
CountyMontmorency
Nearest CityCheboygan
River/StreamWest Branch Upper Rainy River
Coordinates45.19605, -84.07574

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height11 ft
Dam Height11 ft
Dam Length296 ft
Year Completed1960 (66 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage1,755 acre-ft
Max Storage1,755 acre-ft
Normal Storage810 acre-ft
Surface Area270 acres
Drainage Area11 sq mi
Max Discharge253 cfs
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeRecreation
OwnerMDNR Wildlife
Owner TypeState
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentSatisfactory
Last Inspection07/14/2016
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDMI00142
Federal IDMI00142
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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