Delorenzo Dam

About Delorenzo Dam

The primary purpose of Delorenzo Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. It impounds the Vernon Creek near Tuxedo.

The dam stands 49 feet tall and stretches 175 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 2 acres, and has a storage capacity of 35 acre-feet.

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 satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 11/26/2007. That was 18 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 49 feet, this dam is taller than 92% 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 North Carolina dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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