Paint Creek Lake

Paint Creek Lake. Flood Risk Maagement. , The Paint Creek Dam was completed in 1974 and is an earth and rock type dam. It serves as a barrier that blocks the stream's natural path creating a backup of water, which in turn creates the lake. Many visitors don't realize they have driven across the dam when entering the area., The Outflow is where the water from the lake is discharged downstream. Once the water is drawn into the tower, it is channeled through an underground tunnel into the downstream outflow area. Some mistakenly call this the spillway. When the gates are being opened, a horn will sound to warn users in the downstream., The Intake Structure is used to hold in or release excess water. Gates are located at several depths to allow drawing of water at various levels to improve water quality and temperature downstream. The gates are operated to assure there is a proper balance between the inflow of water into the lake and the outflow of water from the lake., The Emergency/Tainter Gates and Dike. These gates (left) are only to be used in emergency situations. If the take level needed to be lowered quickly, these would be opened to release additional water to reduce pressure on the dam and dike or to prevent overtopping of the dam and dike. The dike (right) is another earthen structure that helps to create the lake. The Tainter Gates and dike are often mistaken for the dam and outlet works.