Terrapin Creek - Site 31 is an earth dam located in Cleburne County, Alabama, built in 1972. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 73 ft73 ft tall and 461 ft long, taller than 96% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. Height is drawn to scale against a ten-story building, about 100 ft; the profile is a generic embankment section and the water level is illustrative.
About Terrapin Creek - Site 31
The primary purpose of Terrapin Creek - Site 31 is flood risk reduction. The dam is designed to control downstream flooding by temporarily storing excess water during storms and releasing it at a controlled rate. The dam is owned by Usda Fs (federal).
The dam stands 73 feet tall and stretches 461 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 9,600 acre-feet. Completed in 1972, 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. The most recent inspection on record was 04/14/2011. That was 15 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.
At 73 feet, this dam is taller than 96% of all dams in the United States.
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 | Cleburne |
| Coordinates | 33.89270, -85.52860 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 73 ft |
| Dam Height | 73 ft |
| Dam Length | 461 ft |
| Year Completed | 1972 (54 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 9,600 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 9,600 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 5,120 acre-ft |
| Spillway Type | Controlled |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Flood Risk Reduction |
| Owner | Usda Fs |
| Owner Type | Federal |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Last Inspection | 04/14/2011 |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL00604 |
| Federal ID | AL00604 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |