Big Sandy Dam is an earth dam located in Upshur County, Texas, built in 1910. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 33 ft33 ft tall and 1,700 ft long, taller than 76% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. 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 Big Sandy Dam
The primary purpose of Big Sandy Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Missouri Pacific Railroad Co (private). It impounds the Tr-hills Creek near Big Sandy.
The dam stands 33 feet tall and stretches 1,700 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 28 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 600 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 1 square miles. Completed in 1910, the structure is over a century 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. The most recent inspection on record was 03/19/1979. That was over 47 years ago.
At 33 feet, this dam is taller than 76% of dams nationwide.
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Location
| State | Texas |
| County | Upshur |
| Nearest City | Big Sandy |
| River/Stream | Tr-hills Creek |
| Coordinates | 32.58204, -95.11828 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 33 ft |
| Dam Height | 33 ft |
| Dam Length | 1,700 ft |
| Year Completed | 1910 (116 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 600 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 600 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 180 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 28 acres |
| Drainage Area | 1 sq mi |
| Spillway Type | None |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Missouri Pacific Railroad Co |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Last Inspection | 03/19/1979 |
| Emergency Action Plan | Not Required |
Identifiers
| NID ID | TX03723 |
| Federal ID | TX03723 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |