Lake Lotawana Dam

About Lake Lotawana Dam

The primary purpose of Lake Lotawana Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Lake Lotawana Dev.corp (private). It impounds the West Fork Sni-a-bar Creek near Tarsney Lakes.

The dam stands 58 feet tall and stretches 1,650 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 480 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 11,568 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 13 square miles. Completed in 1928, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

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. Its condition is rated satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 08/24/2022.

At 58 feet, this dam is taller than 95% of all dams in the United States.

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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