Lake Winnemaug Dam dam
Lake Winnemaug Dam
Lake Winnemaug Dam, located in Oakville, Connecticut, serves as a vital recreational resource for the local community. Built in 1920, this earth dam stands at 24 feet high and spans 500 feet in length, creating a reservoir with a storage capacity of 1050 acre-feet. The dam's primary purpose is for recreation, offering a surface area of 122 acres for activities such as boating, fishing, and picnicking.
Managed by the local government and regulated by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), Lake Winnemaug Dam has a high hazard potential due to its location on Wattles Brook. Despite this, the dam is in satisfactory condition and undergoes inspections every two years to ensure its safety and functionality. The spillway, with a width of 19 feet, provides an uncontrolled release of water in the event of excess storage, with a maximum discharge capacity of 774 cubic feet per second.
With its historical significance and importance as a recreational hub, Lake Winnemaug Dam stands as a testament to the intersection of water resource management and climate resilience. As climate change continues to impact water systems, the careful monitoring and maintenance of dams like Lake Winnemaug become increasingly crucial to ensure the safety of both the environment and the surrounding community.
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 Winnemaug Dam -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Nonewaug River At Minortown | 9 cfs | → |
| Weekeepeemee River At Hotchkissville | 19 cfs | → |
| Naugatuck River At Thomaston | 101 cfs | → |
| Pomperaug River At Southbury | 65 cfs | → |
| Naugatuck River At Beacon Falls | 264 cfs | → |
| Quinnipiac River At Southington | 15 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Lake Winnemaug Dam.
⚓ Boat launches
- Lake Plymouth Boulevard 191, Plymouth
- Lake Zoar
- Lake Lillinonah (Pond Brook)
- Lake Lillinonah
- Grove Street 251, New Milford
- Lake Housatonic
⛺ Campgrounds
More campgrounds →🎣 Fishing spots
- Lake Quassapaug
- Lower Fulton Park Pond
- Great Brook Reservoir
- Papermill Pond
- Seymour Reservoir Number 4
- Reservoir Number 2
🛶 Paddle runs
- Begins Downstream Of The Borough Of Bantam, At Stoddard Road Bridge To The Confluence With The Shepaug River
- Pond Downstream Of Shepaug Reservoir Dam, Marked By Service Road Bridge To Ends In Backwaters Of Lake Lillinonah, Near Roxbury Falls
- Begins Below The Tailrace Of The Lower Collinsville Dam To The Route 187 Bridge
- The Confluence With The Nepaug River To A Point 0.2 Miles Below The Lower Collinsville Dam Tailrace
- New Hartford/Canton Town Line To The Confluence With The Nepaug River
- Kent Bridge To Boardman Bridge
Track Lake Winnemaug 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 Winnemaug Dam
Where does the data for Lake Winnemaug 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 High 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 Winnemaug Dam.