Big Sandy Dam

Big Sandy Dam is an earth dam located in Upshur County, Texas, built in 1910. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.

About Big Sandy Dam

The primary purpose of Big Sandy Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Missouri Pacific Railroad Co (private). It impounds the Tr-hills Creek near Big Sandy.

The dam stands 33 feet tall and stretches 1,700 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 28 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 600 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 1 square miles. Completed in 1910, the structure is over a century old.

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. The most recent inspection on record was 03/19/1979. That was over 47 years ago.

At 33 feet, this dam is taller than 78% of dams nationwide.

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Low HazardNot Rated ConditionEmergency Action Plan: Not Required

Location

StateTexas
CountyUpshur
Nearest CityBig Sandy
River/StreamTr-hills Creek
Coordinates32.58204, -95.11828

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height33 ft
Dam Height33 ft
Dam Length1,700 ft
Year Completed1910 (116 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage600 acre-ft
Max Storage600 acre-ft
Normal Storage180 acre-ft
Surface Area28 acres
Drainage Area1 sq mi
Spillway TypeNone

Ownership & Safety

PurposeRecreation
OwnerMISSOURI PACIFIC RAILROAD CO
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentNot Rated
Last Inspection03/19/1979
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDTX03723
Federal IDTX03723
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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