Burnt Fork Dam

About Burnt Fork Dam

The primary purpose of Burnt Fork Dam is irrigation. The dam stores and diverts water for agricultural irrigation, supporting farming operations in the surrounding area. The dam is owned by Sunset Irrigation District (local government). It impounds the Burnt Fork Creek near Stevensville.

The dam stands 42 feet tall and stretches 330 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 49 acres, has a storage capacity of 1,037 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 9 square miles. Completed in 1902, the structure is over a century 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. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam.

At 42 feet, this dam is taller than 89% 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 Montana dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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