Cerva Dam

Cerva Dam is an earth dam located in Macon 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
Height26 ft
Built199531 years ago

Dam profile

NID height · 26 ft
26 FT TWO-STORY HOUSEMEDIAN U.S. DAM · 24 FT

26 ft tall and 310 ft long, taller than 55% 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 Cerva Dam

The primary purpose of Cerva 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 Jim Cerva (private). It impounds the Tr-chariton River near Ardmore.

The dam stands 26 feet tall and stretches 310 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 11 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 40 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 179 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
CountyMacon
Nearest CityArdmore
River/StreamTr-chariton River
Coordinates39.68656, -92.53141

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height26 ft
Dam Height26 ft
Dam Length310 ft
Year Completed1995 (31 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage40 acre-ft
Max Storage40 acre-ft
Normal Storage27 acre-ft
Surface Area11 acres
Drainage Area179 sq mi
Max Discharge14 cfs
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeGrade Stabilization
OwnerJim Cerva
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentNot assessed
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDMO50686
Federal IDMO50686
More InfoState Dam Safety Program