Palmer Lake Dam

About Palmer Lake Dam

The primary purpose of Palmer Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Michael And Suson Palmer (private). It impounds the Little Saline Creed near St. Mary.

The dam stands 54 feet tall and stretches 450 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 5 acres, and collects water from a drainage area of 46 square miles. Completed in 2001, the structure is relatively new.

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. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam.

At 54 feet, this dam is taller than 94% of dams nationwide.

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

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