Hadden-wheeler Dam

About Hadden-wheeler Dam

The primary purpose of Hadden-wheeler Dam is fire protection, stock, or small fish pond. The dam maintains a small impoundment used for fire suppression, livestock watering, or as a fish pond. The dam is owned by Wheeler, Vesta (private). It impounds the Onion Creek-tr near Jefferson.

The dam stands 21 feet tall and stretches 600 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 2 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 36 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1965, 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. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 03/02/1999. That was 27 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

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

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