Watkins Lake in Owatonna, Minnesota, is a gravity dam completed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for flood risk reduction on Crane Creek. The dam has a height of 4.15 feet and a hydraulic height of 1.4 feet, with a normal storage capacity of 148 acre-feet and a maximum storage of 2000 acre-feet. The dam's surface area covers 134 acres, with a drainage area of 31.5 square miles and a maximum discharge capacity of 600 cubic feet per second.

Despite its age, Watkins Lake dam is assessed to be in satisfactory condition with low hazard potential. The dam is owned by the state of Minnesota and is not regulated or inspected by state agencies. The primary purpose of the dam is flood risk reduction, serving as a vital infrastructure for managing water resources in the region. The surrounding area is not heavily populated, but the dam plays a crucial role in protecting the local community from potential flooding events. Overall, Watkins Lake dam stands as a testament to historic engineering efforts and continues to serve its intended purpose effectively.