Payne Lake is an earth dam located in Hale County, Alabama, built in 1939. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 22 ft22 ft tall and 1,450 ft long. 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 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 11 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. 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
| State | Alabama |
| County | Hale |
| Nearest City | Demopolis |
| River/Stream | Five Mile Creek |
| Coordinates | 32.87971, -87.44423 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 22 ft |
| Dam Height | 22 ft |
| Dam Length | 1,450 ft |
| Year Completed | 1939 (87 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 660 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 660 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 660 acre-ft |
| Drainage Area | 7 sq mi |
| Max Discharge | 600 cfs |
| Spillway Type | Uncontrolled |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Usda Fs |
| Owner Type | Federal |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Last Inspection | 07/31/2015 |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL00021 |
| Federal ID | AL00021 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |