Ellijay River W/s Str. #1

About Ellijay River W/s Str. #1

The primary purpose of Ellijay River W/s Str. #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 Limestone Valley Swcd Gilmer County Board Of Commissoners (state). It impounds the Flat Branch near Kells Creek Community.

The dam stands 73 feet tall and stretches 415 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 13 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 1,507 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 5,662 square miles. Completed in 1968, 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. Its condition is rated satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 03/02/2016. That was 10 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 73 feet, this dam is taller than 97% 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 Georgia dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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