Smith

About Smith

The primary purpose of Smith 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 Bear Creek-os near Lakewood.

The dam stands 40 feet tall and stretches 2,500 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 57 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 822 acre-feet. Completed in 1908, the structure is over a century 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. Its condition is rated unsatisfactory, indicating serious safety deficiencies exist that require immediate attention or remedial action. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 03/30/2022.

At 40 feet, this dam is taller than 87% of dams nationwide.

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

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