Lafayette City Lake is an earth dam located in Chambers County, Alabama, built in 1955. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 20 ft20 ft tall and 650 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 Lafayette City Lake
The primary purpose of Lafayette City Lake is water supply. The dam stores water for municipal, industrial, or agricultural use, helping ensure a reliable supply for the surrounding area. The dam is owned by City of Lafayette (local government). It impounds the Finley Creek near Lafayette.
The dam stands 20 feet tall and stretches 650 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 80 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 888 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 6 square miles. Completed in 1955, 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.
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 | Chambers |
| Nearest City | Lafayette |
| River/Stream | Finley Creek |
| Coordinates | 32.89503, -85.46190 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 20 ft |
| Dam Height | 20 ft |
| Dam Length | 650 ft |
| Year Completed | 1955 (71 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 888 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 888 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 405 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 80 acres |
| Drainage Area | 6 sq mi |
| Max Discharge | 2,000 cfs |
| Spillway Type | Uncontrolled |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Water Supply |
| Owner | City of Lafayette |
| Owner Type | Local Government |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | Not Required |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL00547 |
| Federal ID | AL00547 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |