Commerce Park Dam

About Commerce Park Dam

The primary purpose of Commerce Park Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Dinwiddie County (private). It impounds the Cattail Run - Vahu6 Ja40 Appomattox River - Oldtown Creek near Petersburg.

The dam stands 12 feet tall and stretches 770 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 13 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 149 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 12/19/2014. That was 11 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

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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