Sougahatchee is an earth dam located in Lee County, Alabama, built in 1932. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 43 ft43 ft tall and 635 ft long, taller than 89% 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 Sougahatchee
The primary purpose of Sougahatchee is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by City of Opelika,alabama (local government). It impounds the Sougahatchee Creek near North Auburn.
The dam stands 43 feet tall and stretches 635 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 10,200 acre-feet. Completed in 1932, 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.
At 43 feet, this dam is taller than 89% 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
| State | Alabama |
| County | Lee |
| Nearest City | North Auburn |
| River/Stream | Sougahatchee Creek |
| Coordinates | 32.66587, -85.43859 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 43 ft |
| Dam Length | 635 ft |
| Year Completed | 1932 (94 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 10,200 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 10,200 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 5,000 acre-ft |
| Max Discharge | 13,000 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | City of Opelika,alabama |
| Owner Type | Local Government |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL00383 |
| Federal ID | AL00383 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |