Meeks Lake is Site #1 for Margaret Creek Conservancy District (MCCD). This site is the furthest upstream flood control structure of the five structures on Margaret Creek and is located 1 mile east of Albany, Ohio and eight miles southwest of Athens. Site #1 has a floodwater-retarding dam of compacted earth fill constructed in 1972. This structure is classified by ODNR as a hazard Class I dam. It is 31.5 feet high and controls the runoff from 3.4 square miles. A permanent pool of 17 surface acres provides sediment storage. The principal spillway is a reinforced concrete pipe system, which maintains the normal pool level and regulates the passage of flood flows. It consists of an NRCS standard covered top riser with trash rack, a 36-inch diameter reinforced concrete pipe, and a concrete impact-stilling basin as an outlet structure. The emergency spillway is 120 feet wide and is designed to safely pass 6.75 inches of rainfall occurring in a 6-hour period. The dam was also designed to pass 13.0 inches of rain occurring in a 6-hour period without overtopping the dam. A 12-inch diameter lake drain allows the lake to be lowered for emergencies or maintenance.

In addition to the sediment storage, the dam provides 404 acre-feet of floodwater retarding volume below the auxiliary spillway crest. The National Inventory of Dams (NID) number is OH00960.

Drainage Area........................................2,234 Acres


Total Storage............................................552 Acre Feet


Floodwater Retarding Storage........................404 Acre Feet


Water Surface Area..............................17 Acres


Height Of Dam.....................................31.5 Feet


Volume Of Fill..................................................36,400 Cubic Yards

Built in 1972 under The Watershed Protection And Flood Prevention Act by Margaret Creek Conservancy District
, the 
Athens County Board of Commissioners and the 
Athens Soil and Water Conservation District
 with assistance of 
Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Dept. Of Agriculture
.

Constructed under PL566