Thompsonville Dam

Thompsonville Dam is an earth dam located in Benzie County, Michigan, built in 1901. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.

About Thompsonville Dam

The primary purpose of Thompsonville Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Robert Mortenson (private). It impounds the Betsie River near Elberta.

The dam stands 20 feet tall and stretches 300 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 16 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 165 acre-feet. Completed in 1901, the structure is over a century 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. The most recent inspection on record was 05/25/1989. That was over 36 years ago.

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Low HazardNot Rated ConditionEmergency Action Plan: Not Required

Location

StateMichigan
CountyBenzie
Nearest CityElberta
River/StreamBetsie River
Coordinates44.52833, -85.94833

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height20 ft
Dam Height20 ft
Dam Length300 ft
Year Completed1901 (125 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage165 acre-ft
Max Storage165 acre-ft
Normal Storage70 acre-ft
Surface Area16 acres
Max Discharge1,860 cfs
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeRecreation
OwnerRobert Mortenson
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentNot Rated
Last Inspection05/25/1989
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDMI00507
Federal IDMI00507
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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