Dry Devils And Lowrey Ws Scs Site 5 Dam

About Dry Devils And Lowrey Ws Scs Site 5 Dam

The primary purpose of Dry Devils And Lowrey Ws Scs Site 5 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 Edwards Plateau Swcd;sutton County (local government). It impounds the Meckel Draw near Sonora.

The dam stands 52 feet tall and stretches 2,346 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 41 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 9,610 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 23 square miles. Completed in 1960, 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 11/14/2018. That was 7 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

At 52 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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