Burns Lake Dam

About Burns Lake Dam

The primary purpose of Burns Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Burns Golf Course Llc (private). It impounds the Lucky Shoals Creek near Lilburn.

The dam stands 25 feet tall and stretches 450 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 10 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 126 acre-feet. Completed in 1965, 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. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 06/02/2016. That was 9 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

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 Georgia dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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