Margaret Dam

About Margaret Dam

The primary purpose of Margaret Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Lake Margaret Llc (private). It impounds the Second Branch.

The dam stands 17 feet tall and stretches 160 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 51 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 410 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 19 square miles.

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 fair — the dam has minor deficiencies that are being addressed or do not pose an immediate safety threat. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 03/23/2018. That was 8 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 Virginia dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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