Lake Helen Dam dam
Lake Helen Dam
Lake Helen Dam, located in Elba, Illinois, is a privately owned structure built in 1959 for recreational purposes. The dam, standing at a height of 26 feet and stretching 770 feet in length, serves as a water reservoir on the Trib Greasy Creek, with a storage capacity of 67 acre-feet. Despite its low hazard potential, the state-regulated dam is inspected every 5 years to ensure its safety and compliance with regulations enforced by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The dam features an uncontrolled spillway and outlet gates, with a maximum discharge capacity of 88 cubic feet per second. Its moderate risk assessment rating suggests the need for ongoing risk management measures. While the condition assessment is currently not available, the dam's emergency action plan status and inundation maps are also pending updates. Overall, Lake Helen Dam offers a vital water resource for the surrounding area, with a focus on recreational activities while maintaining a balance between water conservation and safety protocols.
Dam data reference
Condition Assessment
- Satisfactory
- No existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. Acceptable performance is expected under all loading conditions (static, hydrologic, seismic) in accordance with the minimum applicable state or federal regulatory criteria or tolerable risk guidelines.
- Fair
- No existing dam safety deficiencies are recognized for normal operating conditions. Rare or extreme hydrologic and/or seismic events may result in a dam safety deficiency. Risk may be in the range to take further action.
- Poor
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized for normal operating conditions which may realistically occur. Remedial action is necessary. POOR may also be used when uncertainties exist as to critical analysis parameters which identify a potential dam safety deficiency.
- Unsatisfactory
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized that requires immediate or emergency remedial action for problem resolution.
- Not Rated
- The dam has not been inspected, is not under state or federal jurisdiction, or has been inspected but, for whatever reason, has not been rated.
Hazard Potential Classification
- High
- Dams assigned the high hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation will probably cause loss of human life.
- Significant
- Dams assigned the significant hazard potential classification are those dams where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life but can cause economic loss, environmental damage, disruption of lifeline facilities, or impact other concerns. Significant hazard potential classification dams are often located in predominantly rural or agricultural areas but could be in areas with population and significant infrastructure.
- Low
- Dams assigned the low hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life and low economic and/or environmental losses. Losses are principally limited to the owner's property.
- Undetermined
- Dams for which a downstream hazard potential has not been designated or is not provided.
Plan around the weather
Same NOAA / yr.no feed Snoflo's iOS app uses. Watch the precipitation column on the meteogram -- rain on the basin upstream typically lifts inflow 24-72 hours later.
Next 5 days, hour by hour
Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.
5-day forecast table
Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.
| Time | Condition | Temp (°F) | Snow (in) | Rain (in) | Humidity (%) | Wind (mps) | Wind dir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading detailed forecast… | |||||||
15-day temperature & precipitation
Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks.
Nearby streamflow gauges
USGS streamgauges around Lake Helen Dam -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Big Muddy River At Plumfield | 246 cfs | → |
| Crab Orchard Creek Near Marion | 2 cfs | → |
| Casey Fork At Mount Vernon | 594 cfs | → |
| Skillet Fork At Wayne City | 1,290 cfs | → |
| Little Wabash River At Carmi | 5,970 cfs | → |
| South Fork Saline River Nr Carrier Mills | 11 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Lake Helen Dam.
Boat launches
- Illinois Route 37 Franklin County
- Cotton Road Saline County
- Trailhead Lane Franklin County
- Meadowlark Road Williamson County
- Franklin County
- Illinois Route 154 Franklin County
Fishing spots
- Lake Of Egypt
- One Horse Gap Lake
- Little Cache Lake #1 (Bowman Lake)
- Dutchman Lake
- Lake Tecumseh
- Whoopie Cat Lake
Paddle runs
- Wallace Cemetery Approx 2.5 Miles Nw Of Herod, Il To Confluence With Ohio River At Golconda Jobs Corp Center
- Source, About 2 Miles East Of Delwood, Il (Sec 10, T11s, R6e) To Bridge At Eddyville Blacktop (Se1/4,Sec.16,T12s, R6e)
- 1 Minle Southwest Of Delwood, Il (Sec. 18, T11s, R13e) To Reesville, 1/4 Mile South Of The Confluence With Sugar Creek
- Russell Cemetery, Approx 1/4 Mile North Of Karbers Ridge Road To Proclamation Boundary, 1 Mile Nw Of Elizabethtown,Il
- Bridge At Eddyville Blacktop To Confluence With Ohio River At Golconda,Il
- 1/2 Mile Downstream Of Confluence With Kinkaid Creek To Confluence With Mississippi River, Approx 4 Miles South Of Grand Tower, Il
Track Lake Helen Dam in the Snoflo app
Save this dam as a favorite and get the local NOAA / yr.no forecast plus regional flow context wherever you are.
About Lake Helen Dam
Where does the data for Lake Helen Dam come from?
Structural and regulatory data come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' National Inventory of Dams (NID). Weather forecast comes from NOAA / yr.no -- the same feed Snoflo's iOS app uses.
How often is the report updated?
NID structural data refreshes annually as the Corps publishes updated assessments. The weather forecast refreshes throughout the day.
What does the Low hazard rating mean?
The Corps of Engineers' hazard potential classification grades probable consequences if the dam fails: High = probable loss of human life; Significant = no probable loss of human life but possible economic loss / environmental damage; Low = no probable loss of human life, only minor economic / environmental losses. See the Dam Data Reference card above for the full definitions.
What's "% of normal"?
The current storage value compared to the historical average storage on this calendar day. 100% = right on average; values above 100% mean above-normal storage (wet year); values below mean below-normal (dry year or drought).
Can I get alerts when storage crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this dam, set a threshold, and you'll get a push the moment conditions cross.
Other water bodies near here
Snoflo-tracked reservoirs and dams within driving distance of Lake Helen Dam.