Painted Rock Dam - Saddle Dike 1

About Painted Rock Dam - Saddle Dike 1

The primary purpose of Painted Rock Dam - Saddle Dike 1 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 Usace - Los Angeles District (federal). It impounds the Gila River near Agua Caliente.

The dam stands 181 feet tall and stretches 4,780 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 1 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 4,831,500 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 50,800 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 05/28/2021.

At 181 feet, this dam is taller than 99% 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 Arizona dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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