Lower Cragston Lake

About Lower Cragston Lake

The primary purpose of Lower Cragston Lake is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by West Point (federal). It impounds the Cragston Brook near Highland Falls.

The dam stands 10 feet tall and stretches 273 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 7 acres, and has a storage capacity of 46 acre-feet.

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. Its condition is rated unsatisfactory, indicating serious safety deficiencies exist that require immediate attention or remedial action. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 09/13/2019.

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 New York dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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