Elm Fork Ws Scs Site 19mp Dam

About Elm Fork Ws Scs Site 19mp Dam

The primary purpose of Elm Fork Ws Scs Site 19mp 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 City Of Muenster;cooke County;muenster Water District;upper Elm Red Swcd (local government). It impounds the Brushy Elm Creek near Muenster.

The dam stands 77 feet tall and stretches 4,415 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 309 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 19,439 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 14 square miles. Completed in 2006, 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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 11/16/2016. That was 9 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

At 77 feet, this dam is taller than 97% of all dams in the United States.

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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