Barton Dam dam
Barton Dam
Barton Dam, also known as Barton Lake, is a privately owned dam located in Nelson County, Kentucky, near the city of Bardstown. Built in 1930, this earth dam serves a primary purpose of recreation, offering a serene environment for water resource and climate enthusiasts to enjoy. The dam has a height of 23 feet and a length of 300 feet, creating a reservoir with a storage capacity of 69.8 acre-feet and a surface area of 9.2 acres.
Managed by the Kentucky Division of Water, Barton Dam is regulated, inspected, and enforced by the state to ensure its safety and compliance with regulations. Despite its low hazard potential, the dam's condition assessment is poor, indicating a need for maintenance and improvements. With an inspection frequency of 5 years, the last assessment in December 2017 revealed the dam's risk assessment as moderate, emphasizing the importance of implementing risk management measures to address potential hazards and ensure the safety of the surrounding community.
As a critical infrastructure in the area, Barton Dam plays a significant role in water resource management and recreational activities while also posing certain risks that need to be addressed. For water resource and climate enthusiasts, understanding the dam's history, design, and current condition is essential to appreciate its significance and contribute to its sustainable management for future generations.
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 Barton Dam -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Beech Fork At Bardstown | 38 cfs | → |
| Beech Fork At Maud | 22 cfs | → |
| Rolling Fork Near Boston | 76 cfs | → |
| Long Lick At Clermont | 1 cfs | → |
| Cedar Creek At Hwy 1442 Near Shepherdsville | 1 cfs | → |
| Brashears Creek At Taylorsville | 27 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Barton Dam.
Boat launches
- Corps Of Engineers Tailwater Road Spencer County
- Bullitt County Boat Ramp
- Lasater Road Louisville
- Van Buren Road Anderson County
- Cooper Chapel Road Louisville
- Porter River Road Hardin County
Track Barton 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 Barton Dam
Where does the data for Barton 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 Barton Dam.