Activities
Visitor Center
Visit the Deer Creek Lake visitor center for more information on the dam and lake. You can also enjoy interactive and interpretive displays, for both you and the children! Walk the path outside the visitor center for views of the dam that you can’t see elsewhere!
Located at 21897 Deer Creek Rd., Mt. Sterling, Ohio 43143.
History
Once, this land was a valley dominated by nomads coming to and from the area. Eventually, in the 20th century, circa 1918, a cabin was built looking over the valley by President Warren Harding’s attorney general, Harry M. Daugherty. The cabin now bears the name of Harding Cabin, and is reservable through the state park.
After the area was established as a flood plain, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was authorized through the Flood Control Act of 1938 to establish Deer Creek Lake, with the purpose of flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife enhancement. The dam’s construction began in 1965 and was completed in 1968. Deer Creek Dam is a part of the larger comprehensive flood control plan for the Ohio River Basin, a system of dams that reduces flooding on the Scioto and Ohio Rivers by holding back flood water. The estimated monetary savings in flood damages that been prevented downstream of the dam has surpassed the construction cost of the dam. In addition to flood reduction, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers works in cooperation with Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Division of Wildlife to provide lakeside recreation and fish and wildlife management.
Maps
Rules and Regulations
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers follows and enforces regulations provided by CFR Title 36
Get Involved
Contact the U.S.A.C.E. Deer Creek Lake office for information on volunteering and interpretive programs. Monitor the Facebook for updates.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers partners with Scioto Area Corps Cooperation Association (SACCA), a non-profit partner based in Central Ohio. You may contact SACCA for volunteer opportunities or to give tax-exempt donations. For more information on SACCA, please visit: https://corpsdams.org/
Purpose and Value
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mission is to deliver vital engineering solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to secure our Nation, energize our economy, and reduce disaster risk. At the project level, Deer Creek Lake‘s purpose is flood risk reduction, followed by recreation, and fish and wildlife enhancement. Since the creation of the Deer Creek Dam, it has prevented over $222,157,000 in damages in its designated floodplain area. In 2021, the dam prevented $15,027,000 in damages.