Merrill Dorland Dam

Merrill Dorland Dam is an earth dam located in Clarke County, Iowa, built in 2014. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.

Hazard potentialLowFailure would cause limited damage
ConditionNot assessed
Emergency action planNot reported
Last inspectionNot reported
Height31 ft
Built201412 years ago

Dam profile

NID height · 31 ft
31 FT TWO-STORY HOUSEMEDIAN U.S. DAM · 24 FT

31 ft tall and 332 ft long, taller than 72% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. 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 Merrill Dorland Dam

The primary purpose of Merrill Dorland Dam is grade stabilization. Grade stabilization dams prevent erosion by reducing the slope and velocity of water flowing through a channel. They're commonly used to stop gullies from deepening and to protect downstream land and infrastructure. The dam is owned by Merrill Dorland (private). It impounds the Tr - West Lake near West Lake.

The dam stands 31 feet tall and stretches 332 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 2 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 31 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 2014, the structure is relatively new.

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.

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Location

StateIowa
CountyClarke
Nearest CityWest Lake
River/StreamTr - West Lake
Coordinates41.02830, -93.82670

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height31 ft
Dam Height31 ft
Dam Length332 ft
Year Completed2014 (12 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage31 acre-ft
Max Storage31 acre-ft
Normal Storage13 acre-ft
Surface Area2 acres
Drainage Area0 sq mi
Max Discharge9 cfs
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeGrade Stabilization
OwnerMerrill Dorland
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentNot assessed
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDIA04213
Federal IDIA04213
More InfoState Dam Safety Program