Rice Lake

Rice Lake is a gravity dam located in Faribault County, Minnesota, built in 1930. It carries a Low hazard potential classification and has a satisfactory condition assessment.

About Rice Lake

The primary purpose of Rice Lake is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Mndnr-wildlife (local government). It impounds the Rice Creek-tr near Blue Earth.

The dam stands 10 feet tall and stretches 24 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 266 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 1,856 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 23 square miles. Completed in 1930, 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 satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. The most recent inspection on record was 07/24/2024.

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Low HazardSatisfactory ConditionEmergency Action Plan: Not Required

Location

StateMinnesota
CountyFaribault
Nearest CityBlue Earth
River/StreamRice Creek-tr
Coordinates43.79560, -94.07686

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeGravity
NID Height10 ft
Dam Height7 ft
Dam Length24 ft
Year Completed1930 (96 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage1,856 acre-ft
Max Storage1,856 acre-ft
Normal Storage1,112 acre-ft
Surface Area266 acres
Drainage Area23 sq mi
Max Discharge39 cfs
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeRecreation
OwnerMNDNR-Wildlife
Owner TypeLocal Government
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentSatisfactory
Last Inspection07/24/2024
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDMN00142
Federal IDMN00142
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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