Watson Lake Dam

Watson Lake Dam is an earth dam located in Webster County, Kentucky, built in 1936. It carries a Low hazard potential classification and has a fair condition assessment.

About Watson Lake Dam

The primary purpose of Watson Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Herman Hawkins (private). It impounds the Caldwell Creek near Tilden.

The dam stands 27 feet tall and stretches 275 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 3 acres, has a storage capacity of 34 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1936, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

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 fair — the dam has minor deficiencies that are being addressed or do not pose an immediate safety threat. The most recent inspection on record was 08/29/2013. That was over 12 years ago.

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Low HazardFair ConditionEmergency Action Plan: Not Required

Location

StateKentucky
CountyWebster
Nearest CityTilden
River/StreamCaldwell Creek
Coordinates37.57028, -87.69444

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height27 ft
Dam Height27 ft
Dam Length275 ft
Year Completed1936 (90 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage34 acre-ft
Normal Storage34 acre-ft
Surface Area3 acres
Drainage Area0 sq mi
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeRecreation
OwnerHERMAN HAWKINS
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentFair
Last Inspection08/29/2013
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDKY00886
Federal IDKY00886
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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