Ely Lake

Ely Lake is a gravity dam located in St. Louis County, Minnesota, built in 1939. It carries a Low hazard potential classification and has a satisfactory condition assessment.

About Ely Lake

The primary purpose of Ely Lake is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Mndnr (state). It impounds the Ely Creek near Peary.

The dam stands 8 feet tall and stretches 34 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 780 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 61,182 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 10 square miles. Completed in 1939, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

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 08/16/2017.

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Low HazardSatisfactory ConditionEmergency Action Plan: Not Required

Location

StateMinnesota
CountySt. Louis
Nearest CityPeary
River/StreamEly Creek
Coordinates47.44419, -92.47363

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeGravity
NID Height8 ft
Dam Height6 ft
Dam Length34 ft
Year Completed1939 (87 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage61,182 acre-ft
Max Storage61,182 acre-ft
Normal Storage55,620 acre-ft
Surface Area780 acres
Drainage Area10 sq mi
Max Discharge925 cfs
Spillway TypeControlled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeRecreation
OwnerMNDNR
Owner TypeState
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentSatisfactory
Last Inspection08/16/2017
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDMN00005
Federal IDMN00005
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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