Grade Stabilization Dams in the United States

964Total

18High Hazard

17Significant

Grade stabilization dams prevent erosion by reducing the slope and velocity of water flowing through a channel. They stop gullies from deepening, protect downstream land from erosion, and stabilize stream channels. Many were built by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) as part of watershed protection programs.

These are typically small structures, often just a few feet tall, but they serve a critical role in preventing land degradation, particularly in agricultural areas.

Grade Stabilization Dams by State

State	Count	High Hazard	Tallest (ft)
Missouri	651	5	46
Iowa	260	0	44
South Dakota	23	0	69
Pennsylvania	18	12	164
Minnesota	10	0	46
Alabama	1	1	9
Ohio	1	0	11

Largest Grade Stabilization Dams

#	Dam	State	Height (ft)	Hazard	Year
1	Bailey Mine Fresh Water Imp	Pennsylvania	164	High	1984
2	Isabella Fresh Water	Pennsylvania	122	Significant
3	Keystone Station	Pennsylvania	100	High	1965
4	Two Lick Creek	Pennsylvania	90	High	1968
5	Randall Rc&d Ca-176-gr	South Dakota	69	Low	1976
6	Indspec No 3	Pennsylvania	59	High	1975
7	Sawmill Run	Pennsylvania	58	High	1968
8	Washington No 3	Pennsylvania	48	High	1895
9	Holly 10	Minnesota	46	Low	2023
10	Tabo Creek A-23	Missouri	46	Significant	1963
11	Williams Lake Dam 1	Missouri	45	Low	1967
12	Randall Rc&d Ca-167.3-bh	South Dakota	45	Low	1975
13	Langenfeld - Heiden Dam	Iowa	44	Low	2000
14	Maurer Dam	Iowa	43	Low	2000
15	Ramsey Dam	Iowa	43	Low	2000
16	Mozingo Creek Watershed Site 12	Missouri	42	Low	1994
17	Crawford Co Roadgrade Dam 34-84-39	Iowa	41	Low	2002
18	Glen Laudewec	Missouri	40	Low	1995
19	Soap Creek Watershed Site 26-55	Iowa	40	Low	2007
20	Louisa County Raodgrade Dam 36-73-3	Iowa	40	Low	2002
21	Union Creek No 6	South Dakota	39	Low	1978
22	102 River Tributaries Dam Lt-48	Missouri	39	Low	1980
23	Jasper County Roadgrade Dam 20-81-20	Iowa	39	Low	2002
24	Bakers Gulch Dam	South Dakota	39	Low	1981
25	Randall Rc&d Ca-66-bh	South Dakota	39	Low	1971
26	Nowak Dam	Iowa	38	Low	2001
27	Reid Dam	Missouri	38	Low	1994
28	Carbaugh Dam	Iowa	38	Low	2023
29	Williams Dam No 1	Missouri	38	Low	1992
30	Behrendt Dam	Iowa	38	Low	2014
31	Harvey Grace Structure Dam	Missouri	38	Low	1955
32	Kopmann Farms - Field #n1	Missouri	38	Low	2007
33	Sara Or Bill Baldwin Structure Dam	Missouri	38	Low	1980
34	Hoover-frankum Watershed Dam Lt-51	Missouri	38	Low	1974
35	Woodbury County Road Dam 8-87-44	Iowa	38	Low	2001
36	Jasper County Roadgrade Dam 15-81-20	Iowa	38	Low	2005
37	Hoover-frankum Watershed Dam Lt-13	Missouri	38	Low	1973
38	Union Creek No. 5	South Dakota	38	Low	1978
39	Allard Dam	Missouri	37	Low	1997
40	Terry & Janet Larison	Missouri	37	Low	1997
41	Jar Farms	Iowa	37	Low	2001
42	Blanchard Dam	Iowa	37	Low	2006
43	Henselman Dam	Missouri	37	Low	2004
44	Gander Dam	Missouri	37	Low	1994
45	Arlen Meyer Dam	Iowa	37	Low	2023
46	Srite Dam	Iowa	37	Low	2023
47	Union Creek No 48	South Dakota	37	Low	1976
48	Union Creek No 9	South Dakota	37	Low	1978
49	Union Creek No 12	South Dakota	37	Low	1976
50	Don Nail	Missouri	36	Low	1996