Platte River Trib Watershed Dam 3-b

About Platte River Trib Watershed Dam 3-b

The primary purpose of Platte River Trib Watershed Dam 3-b is grade stabilization. Grade stabilization dams prevent erosion by reducing the slope and velocity of water flowing through a channel. They're commonly used to stop gullies from deepening and to protect downstream land and infrastructure. The dam is owned by Platte Rvr Tr Wtsh Dist. (local government). It impounds the Tr-platte River near Sheridan.

The dam stands 29 feet tall and stretches 315 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 13 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 105 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 160 square miles. Completed in 1962, 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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 06/04/1980. That was 45 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 Missouri dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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