Lake In The Hills Dam 1

About Lake In The Hills Dam 1

The primary purpose of Lake In The Hills Dam 1 is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Village Of Lake In The Hills (local government). It impounds the Woods Creek near Lake In The Hills.

The dam stands 40 feet tall and stretches 780 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 9 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 969 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1926, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 10/30/2025.

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

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