Hanging Kettle Lake is a gravity dam located in Aitkin County, Minnesota, built in 1937. It carries a Low hazard potential classification and has a poor condition assessment.
Dam profile
NID height · 10 ft10 ft tall and 40 ft long. Height is drawn to scale against a two-story house, about 25 ft; the profile is a generic concrete gravity section and the water level is illustrative.
About Hanging Kettle Lake
The primary purpose of Hanging Kettle Lake is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Mndnr (state). It impounds the Ripple River near Aitkin.
The dam stands 10 feet tall and stretches 40 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 320 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 5,814 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 107 square miles. Completed in 1937, 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 poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. The most recent inspection on record was 08/17/2022.
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Location
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Aitkin |
| Nearest City | Aitkin |
| River/Stream | Ripple River |
| Coordinates | 46.47542, -93.70040 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Gravity |
| NID Height | 10 ft |
| Dam Height | 6 ft |
| Dam Length | 40 ft |
| Year Completed | 1937 (89 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 5,814 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 5,814 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 4,896 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 320 acres |
| Drainage Area | 107 sq mi |
| Max Discharge | 1,470 cfs |
| Spillway Type | Controlled |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Mndnr |
| Owner Type | State |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Poor |
| Last Inspection | 08/17/2022 |
| Emergency Action Plan | Not Required |
Identifiers
| NID ID | MN00244 |
| Federal ID | MN00244 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |