Crooked Creek W/s Dam Site 16

About Crooked Creek W/s Dam Site 16

The primary purpose of Crooked Creek W/s Dam Site 16 is flood risk reduction. The dam is designed to control downstream flooding by temporarily storing excess water during storms and releasing it at a controlled rate. The dam is owned by J F Carter & M C Stephens (private). It impounds the White Oak Creek near Cragford Community.

The dam stands 60 feet tall and stretches 900 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 74 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 2,626 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 8 square miles. Completed in 1968, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years old.

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. The most recent inspection on record was 02/19/2013. That was 13 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 60 feet, this dam is taller than 95% of all dams in the United States.

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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