High Rock Lake - Site 24

High Rock Lake - Site 24 is an earth dam located in Cleburne County, Alabama, built in 1972. It carries a High hazard potential classification.

Hazard potentialHighFailure would probably cost lives
ConditionNot assessed
Emergency action planNone on file
Last inspection09/04/2014
Height88 ft
Built197254 years ago

Dam profile

NID height · 88 ft
88 FT TEN-STORY BUILDINGMEDIAN U.S. DAM · 24 FT

88 ft tall and 514 ft long, taller than 97% 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 High Rock Lake - Site 24

The primary purpose of High Rock Lake - Site 24 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). It impounds the Shoal Creek near Oxford.

The dam stands 88 feet tall and stretches 514 feet across, has a maximum storage capacity of 6,926 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 13 square miles. 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 09/04/2014. That was 12 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 88 feet, this dam is taller than 97% 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

StateAlabama
CountyCleburne
Nearest CityOxford
River/StreamShoal Creek
Coordinates33.71670, -85.62670

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height88 ft
Dam Height88 ft
Dam Length514 ft
Year Completed1972 (54 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage6,926 acre-ft
Max Storage6,926 acre-ft
Normal Storage2,251 acre-ft
Drainage Area13 sq mi
Max Discharge2,221 cfs
Spillway TypeControlled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeFlood Risk Reduction
OwnerUsda Fs
Owner TypeFederal
Hazard ClassificationHigh
Condition AssessmentNot assessed
Last Inspection09/04/2014
Emergency Action PlanNo

Identifiers

NID IDAL00614
Federal IDAL00614
More InfoASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program)