Bugs Lake Dam is an earth dam located in Fayette County, Alabama, built in 1952. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 28 ft28 ft tall and 224 ft long, taller than 62% 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 Bugs Lake Dam
The primary purpose of Bugs Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Joyce Smith (private). It impounds the Clear Creek near West Suburb-cleveland.
The dam stands 28 feet tall and stretches 224 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 1,583 acre-feet. Completed in 1952, 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.
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 | Fayette |
| Nearest City | West Suburb-cleveland |
| River/Stream | Clear Creek |
| Coordinates | 33.69333, -87.65333 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 28 ft |
| Dam Length | 224 ft |
| Year Completed | 1952 (74 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 1,583 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 1,583 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 384 acre-ft |
| Max Discharge | 1,579 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Joyce Smith |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL00302 |
| Federal ID | AL00302 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |