Walter Smith Dam

Walter Smith Dam is an earth dam located in Linn County, Missouri, built in 1995. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.

Hazard potentialLowFailure would cause limited damage
ConditionNot assessed
Emergency action planNot reported
Last inspectionNot reported
Height30 ft
Built199531 years ago

Dam profile

NID height · 30 ft
30 FT TWO-STORY HOUSEMEDIAN U.S. DAM · 24 FT

30 ft tall and 200 ft long, taller than 68% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. Height is drawn to scale against a two-story house, about 25 ft; the profile is a generic embankment section and the water level is illustrative.

About Walter Smith Dam

The primary purpose of Walter Smith Dam 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 Walter Smith (private). It impounds the Tr-mussel Fork near New Boston.

The dam stands 30 feet tall and stretches 200 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 5 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 25 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 590 square miles. Completed in 1995, the structure is 31 years old.

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.

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Location

StateMissouri
CountyLinn
Nearest CityNew Boston
River/StreamTr-mussel Fork
Coordinates39.98289, -92.85677

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height30 ft
Dam Height30 ft
Dam Length200 ft
Year Completed1995 (31 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage25 acre-ft
Max Storage25 acre-ft
Normal Storage18 acre-ft
Surface Area5 acres
Drainage Area590 sq mi
Max Discharge11 cfs
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeGrade Stabilization
OwnerWalter Smith
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentNot assessed
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDMO50650
Federal IDMO50650
More InfoState Dam Safety Program