Payne Lake

About Payne Lake

The primary purpose of Payne Lake is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Usda Fs (federal). It impounds the Five Mile Creek near Demopolis.

The dam stands 22 feet tall and stretches 1,450 feet across, has a maximum storage capacity of 660 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 7 square miles. Completed in 1939, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

This dam carries a high hazard potential classification, which means that a failure or uncontrolled release of water would likely cause loss of human life. This classification reflects the consequences of failure, not the likelihood — it indicates that people live or work in the area downstream. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 07/31/2015. That was 10 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

Living Downstream

If you live or work downstream of this dam, consider taking these steps: learn your local evacuation routes, check whether your county emergency management office has a dam failure inundation map, and sign up for local emergency alerts. The Alabama dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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