Deschutes Dam

Deschutes Dam is an earth dam located in Thurston County, Washington, built in 1951. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.

About Deschutes Dam

The primary purpose of Deschutes Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Wa Des (state). It impounds the Deschutes River near Olympia.

The dam stands 45 feet tall, creates a reservoir covering 270 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 4,300 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 185 square miles. Completed in 1951, 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. The most recent inspection on record was 07/24/1998. That was over 27 years ago.

At 45 feet, this dam is taller than 91% of dams nationwide.

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Low Hazard ConditionEmergency Action Plan: Not Required

Location

StateWashington
CountyThurston
Nearest CityOlympia
River/StreamDeschutes River
Coordinates47.04354, -122.90912

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height45 ft
Year Completed1951 (75 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage4,300 acre-ft
Max Storage4,300 acre-ft
Normal Storage3,700 acre-ft
Surface Area270 acres
Drainage Area185 sq mi

Ownership & Safety

PurposeRecreation
OwnerWA DES
Owner TypeState
Hazard ClassificationLow
Last Inspection07/24/1998
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDWA00143
Federal IDWA00143
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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