Chambers Creek Ws Scs Site 7 Dam

About Chambers Creek Ws Scs Site 7 Dam

The primary purpose of Chambers Creek Ws Scs Site 7 Dam is flood risk reduction. The dam is designed to control downstream flooding by temporarily storing excess water during storms and releasing it at a controlled rate. The dam is owned by Ellis County;ellis Prairie Swcd (local government). It impounds the Tr-waxahachie Creek near Sardis.

The dam stands 50 feet tall and stretches 1,600 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 27 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 1,181 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 2 square miles. Completed in 1958, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years 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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 08/06/2014. That was 11 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 50 feet, this dam is taller than 93% 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 Texas dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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