Smithers Lake Dam is an earth dam located in Fort Bend County, Texas, built in 1957. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 18 ft18 ft tall and 15,800 ft long. Height is drawn to scale against a two-story house, about 25 ft; the profile is a generic embankment section and the water level is illustrative.
About Smithers Lake Dam
The primary purpose of Smithers Lake Dam 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 Nrg Texas Power LLC (private). It impounds the Dry Creek.
The dam stands 18 feet tall and stretches 15,800 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 2,480 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 29,150 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 24 square miles. Completed in 1957, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years old.
This dam has a low hazard potential classification, meaning that failure would cause minimal damage, limited primarily to the dam owner's property, with no expected loss of life. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 06/22/2010. That was over 16 years ago.
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Location
| State | Texas |
| County | Fort Bend |
| River/Stream | Dry Creek |
| Coordinates | 29.48828, -95.62435 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 18 ft |
| Dam Height | 18 ft |
| Dam Length | 15,800 ft |
| Year Completed | 1957 (69 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 29,150 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 29,150 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 18,750 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 2,480 acres |
| Drainage Area | 24 sq mi |
| Max Discharge | 19,136 cfs |
| Spillway Type | Controlled |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Flood Risk Reduction |
| Owner | Nrg Texas Power LLC |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Last Inspection | 06/22/2010 |
| Emergency Action Plan | Yes |
Identifiers
| NID ID | TX01564 |
| Federal ID | TX01564 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |