C & O Dam

About C & O Dam

C & O Dam is a dam in Raleigh, West Virginia. The dam is owned by Csx Transportation (private). It impounds the Beaver Creek near Blue Jay.

The dam stands 9 feet tall and stretches 108 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 8 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 43 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 19 square miles. Completed in 1944, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

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 03/10/2015. That was 11 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

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 West Virginia dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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