Cave Gulch Dam

Cave Gulch Dam is a gravity dam located in Natrona County, Wyoming, built in 1964. It carries a Low hazard potential classification and has a poor condition assessment.

About Cave Gulch Dam

The primary purpose of Cave Gulch Dam is debris control. The dam is designed to catch sediment, rocks, and debris carried by flowing water — particularly important in areas prone to mudslides or heavy erosion. The dam is owned by Doi Blm (federal). It impounds the Cave Gulch.

The dam stands 25 feet tall and stretches 713 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 51 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 363 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 52 square miles. Completed in 1964, 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. Its condition is rated poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. The most recent inspection on record was 07/21/2017.

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Low HazardPoor ConditionEmergency Action Plan: Not Required

Location

StateWyoming
CountyNatrona
River/StreamCave Gulch
Coordinates43.15600, -106.93397

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeGravity
NID Height25 ft
Dam Length713 ft
Year Completed1964 (62 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage363 acre-ft
Max Storage363 acre-ft
Normal Storage162 acre-ft
Surface Area51 acres
Drainage Area52 sq mi
Max Discharge2,340 cfs
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeDebris Control
OwnerDOI BLM
Owner TypeFederal
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentPoor
Last Inspection07/21/2017
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDWY01439
Federal IDWY01439
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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