Lake Frances Dam

About Lake Frances Dam

The primary purpose of Lake Frances Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Uhs Of Talbot, L.p. C/o Universal Health Services Of Delaware, Inc. (private). It impounds the Unknown near Union City.

The dam stands 53 feet tall and stretches 522 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 30 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 834 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 252 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. 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 06/06/2017. That was 8 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

At 53 feet, this dam is taller than 94% 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 Georgia dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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