Upper Chinns

Upper Chinns is an earth dam located in Clear Creek County, Colorado, built in 1937. It carries a Low hazard potential classification and has a satisfactory condition assessment.

About Upper Chinns

The primary purpose of Upper Chinns is irrigation. The dam stores and diverts water for agricultural irrigation, supporting farming operations in the surrounding area. The dam is owned by Agricultural Ditch & Reservoir Company (acker, Pet (private). It impounds the Fall River-tr near Idaho Springs.

The dam stands 29 feet tall and stretches 420 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 7 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 138 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 1 square miles. Completed in 1937, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

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. Its condition is rated satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. The most recent inspection on record was 07/11/2017.

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Low HazardSatisfactory ConditionEmergency Action Plan: Not Required

Location

StateColorado
CountyClear Creek
Nearest CityIdaho Springs
River/StreamFall River-tr
Coordinates39.81672, -105.69815

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height29 ft
Dam Height22 ft
Dam Length420 ft
Year Completed1937 (89 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage138 acre-ft
Max Storage138 acre-ft
Normal Storage92 acre-ft
Surface Area7 acres
Drainage Area1 sq mi
Max Discharge882 cfs
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeIrrigation
OwnerAGRICULTURAL DITCH & RESERVOIR COMPANY (ACKER, PET
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentSatisfactory
Last Inspection07/11/2017
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDCO00190
Federal IDCO00190
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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