Hickory Creek Watershed Structure H- 9a

About Hickory Creek Watershed Structure H- 9a

The primary purpose of Hickory Creek Watershed Structure H- 9a is flood risk reduction. The dam is designed to control downstream flooding by temporarily storing excess water during storms and releasing it at a controlled rate. The dam is owned by City Of Neosho (local government). It impounds the Tr-hickory near Neosho.

The dam stands 38 feet tall and stretches 650 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 10 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 210 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 70 square miles. Completed in 2000, the structure is 26 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 09/23/2002. That was 23 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 38 feet, this dam is taller than 85% 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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