Pettysville Mill Dam

About Pettysville Mill Dam

The primary purpose of Pettysville Mill Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Old Mill Hills Preservation Assoc (private). It impounds the Chilson Creek near Lakeland.

The dam stands 21 feet tall and stretches 370 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 5 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 85 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 11 square miles. Completed in 1840, the structure is one of the older dams in the region, with over a century and a half of service.

This dam has a significant hazard potential classification, meaning that a failure could cause significant economic damage — flooding roads, bridges, or property downstream — but is not expected to result in loss of life. 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 11/16/2009. That was over 16 years ago.

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