Clarence Smith Dam

About Clarence Smith Dam

The primary purpose of Clarence Smith Dam is fire protection, stock, or small fish pond. The dam maintains a small impoundment used for fire suppression, livestock watering, or as a fish pond. The dam is owned by Young Ranch Llc (private). It impounds the Sophia Creek-tr.

The dam stands 25 feet tall and stretches 492 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 6 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 81 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 1 square miles. Completed in 1958, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 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. Its condition is rated poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 11/01/2018. That was 7 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

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 South Dakota dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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