Lake Childress Dam

About Lake Childress Dam

The primary purpose of Lake Childress Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by City Of Childress (local government). It impounds the Tr Of Baylor Creek.

The dam stands 33 feet tall and stretches 2,800 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 313 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 6,800 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 15 square miles. Completed in 1922, 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. Its condition is rated unsatisfactory, indicating serious safety deficiencies exist that require immediate attention or remedial action. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 01/19/2022.

At 33 feet, this dam is taller than 78% 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 Texas dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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