Birk Lake Dam is an earth dam located in Dubois County, Indiana, built in 1957. It carries a Low hazard potential classification and has a poor condition assessment.
Dam profile
NID height · 22 ft22 ft tall and 415 ft long. 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 Birk Lake Dam
The primary purpose of Birk Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Birk Lake Owners (private). It impounds the Straight River.
The dam stands 22 feet tall and stretches 415 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 6 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 77 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1957, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years old.
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. Its condition is rated poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. The most recent inspection on record was 05/06/2015. That was over 11 years ago.
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Location
| State | Indiana |
| County | Dubois |
| River/Stream | Straight River |
| Coordinates | 38.33682, -86.84694 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 22 ft |
| Dam Height | 22 ft |
| Dam Length | 415 ft |
| Year Completed | 1957 (69 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 77 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 77 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 56 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 6 acres |
| Drainage Area | 0 sq mi |
| Max Discharge | 21 cfs |
| Spillway Type | None |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Birk Lake Owners |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Poor |
| Last Inspection | 05/06/2015 |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | IN00617 |
| Federal ID | IN00617 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |