Lake Robin

Lake Robin is an earth dam located in Talladega County, Alabama, built in 1957. It carries a High hazard potential classification.

Hazard potentialHighFailure would probably cost lives
ConditionNot assessed
Emergency action planNone on file
Last inspectionNot reported
Height38 ft
Built195769 years ago

Dam profile

NID height · 38 ft
38 FT TWO-STORY HOUSEMEDIAN U.S. DAM · 24 FT

38 ft tall and 440 ft long, taller than 84% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. Height is drawn to scale against a two-story house, about 25 ft; the profile is a generic embankment section and the water level is illustrative.

About Lake Robin

The primary purpose of Lake Robin is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by F M May (private). It impounds the East Creek near Mcelderry.

The dam stands 38 feet tall and stretches 440 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 716 acre-feet. Completed in 1957, 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.

At 38 feet, this dam is taller than 84% of dams nationwide.

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. Alabama is the only state with no dam safety program, so there is no state office to contact about this structure; the federal record above is what exists. ASDSO's page on Alabama explains the gap.

Search for dams near your address to see all dams in your area with hazard classifications and safety data.

Location

StateAlabama
CountyTalladega
Nearest CityMcelderry
River/StreamEast Creek
Coordinates33.43957, -85.95100

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height38 ft
Dam Length440 ft
Year Completed1957 (69 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage716 acre-ft
Max Storage716 acre-ft
Normal Storage528 acre-ft
Max Discharge3,655 cfs

Ownership & Safety

PurposeRecreation
OwnerF M May
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationHigh
Condition AssessmentNot assessed
Emergency Action PlanNo

Identifiers

NID IDAL00006
Federal IDAL00006
More InfoASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program)