Otsego Dam

About Otsego Dam

The primary purpose of Otsego 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 Kalamazoo River near Allegan.

The dam stands 21 feet tall and stretches 570 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 67 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 1,530 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 1,474 square miles. Completed in 1904, the structure is over a century 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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 11/12/2014. That was 11 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

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

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