Olive Lake

About Olive Lake

The primary purpose of Olive Lake is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Usda Fs (federal). It impounds the Lake Creek near Dale.

The dam stands 39 feet tall and stretches 390 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 320 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 3,300 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 4 square miles. Completed in 1907, 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. The most recent inspection on record was 11/16/2018. That was 7 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

At 39 feet, this dam is taller than 86% 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 Oregon dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

Search for dams near your address to see all dams in your area with hazard classifications and safety data.