Smith Ponderosa Lake Dam is an earth dam located in Telfair County, Georgia, built in 1953. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 20 ft20 ft tall and 720 ft long. Height is drawn to scale against a two-story house, about 25 ft; the profile is a generic embankment section and the water level is illustrative.
About Smith Ponderosa Lake Dam
The primary purpose of Smith Ponderosa Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Randy Kahrmann (private). It impounds the Unknown near Mcrae.
The dam stands 20 feet tall and stretches 720 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 12 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 131 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 380 square miles. Completed in 1953, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years old.
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. The most recent inspection on record was 05/01/2017.
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Location
| State | Georgia |
| County | Telfair |
| Nearest City | Mcrae |
| River/Stream | Unknown |
| Coordinates | 32.04706, -82.91539 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 20 ft |
| Dam Height | 20 ft |
| Dam Length | 720 ft |
| Year Completed | 1953 (73 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 131 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 131 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 56 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 12 acres |
| Drainage Area | 380 sq mi |
| Spillway Type | Uncontrolled |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Randy Kahrmann |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Last Inspection | 05/01/2017 |
| Emergency Action Plan | Not Required |
Identifiers
| NID ID | GA00078 |
| Federal ID | GA00078 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |