Southwest Genesee Street Detention Dam dam
Southwest Genesee Street Detention Dam
Southwest Genesee Street Detention Dam, located within Seattle city limits in Washington, is a crucial piece of infrastructure designed by the City of Seattle Engineering to mitigate flood risk along Longfellow Creek. Completed in 1974, this earth dam stands at a structural height of 27.4 feet with a hydraulic height of the same, providing a storage capacity of 52 acre-feet to manage stormwater runoff. The dam plays a significant role in protecting the surrounding area from potential flooding events, with a hazard potential rating of "high" and a condition assessment of "fair".
Maintained and regulated by the Washington Department of Ecology, the dam is subject to state inspections and enforcement to ensure its effectiveness in flood risk reduction. The dam's primary purpose aligns with its construction, focusing solely on flood risk reduction with a storage capacity of 19 acre-feet under normal conditions. Its location within King County, Washington, highlights the importance of proper management of water resources in urban settings to safeguard communities from the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. With a history of regular inspections and a designated emergency action plan, Southwest Genesee Street Detention Dam stands as a critical infrastructure piece in the region's water resource management strategy.
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 Southwest Genesee Street Detention Dam -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Duwamish River At Golf Course At Tukwila | 6,700 cfs | → |
| Mercer Creek Near Bellevue | 12 cfs | → |
| Cedar River At Renton | 335 cfs | → |
| Thornton Creek Near Seattle | 41 cfs | → |
| Mill Creek Near Mouth At Orillia | 5 cfs | → |
| Spring Brook Creek At Orillia | 6 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Southwest Genesee Street Detention Dam.
Boat launches
- Duwamish River Boat Ramp
- Fauntleroy Way Southwest 9345, Seattle
- 47th Avenue Southwest 10203, Seattle
- Lake Washington Boulevard South 3800, Seattle
- Stan Sayres Boat Launch
- Adams Street Boat Ramp
Campgrounds
- Cascadia Marine Trail
- Manchester State Park
- Manchester State Park Campground
- Illahee State Park
- Fay Bainbridge State Park
- Fay Bainbridge State Park Campsite
Paddle runs
- Snoqualmie Falls To Plum's Landing
- Confluence With Taylor River To Confluence With North Fork Snoqualmie River
- Wagner Bridge To Confluence With Middle Fork Snoqualmie River
- Brothers Wilderness Boundary To Olympic Nf Boundary
- Olympic Nf/Olympic Np Bounary To Brothers Wilderness Boundary
- Headwaters- Includes All Tributaries (Upstream From Station Creek) To Confluence With Dosewallips River
Track Southwest Genesee Street Detention 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 Southwest Genesee Street Detention Dam
Where does the data for Southwest Genesee Street Detention 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 Southwest Genesee Street Detention Dam.