Byington Lake Dam

About Byington Lake Dam

The primary purpose of Byington Lake Dam is fire protection, stock, or small fish pond. The dam maintains a small impoundment used for fire suppression, livestock watering, or as a fish pond. The dam is owned by Thomas Byington (private). It impounds the Owens Creek near Cooper Hill.

The dam stands 33 feet tall, creates a reservoir covering 9 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 159 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 110 square miles. Completed in 1970, 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. The most recent inspection on record was 07/16/1980. That was 45 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 33 feet, this dam is taller than 78% of dams nationwide.

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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