Timber Lake Dam

About Timber Lake Dam

The primary purpose of Timber Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is private-owned.

The dam stands 40 feet tall and stretches 300 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 8 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 240 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1948, 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. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 10/22/1996. That was 29 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

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

Search for dams near your address to see all dams in your area with hazard classifications and safety data.