Lake Catoma Dam is a rockfill dam located in Cullman County, Alabama, built in 1966. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 100 ft100 ft tall and 1,800 ft long, taller than 98% 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 rockfill embankment section and the water level is illustrative.
About Lake Catoma Dam
The primary purpose of Lake Catoma Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Cullman City of (local government). It impounds the Eight Mile Creek near Cullman.
The dam stands 100 feet tall and stretches 1,800 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 21,400 acre-feet. Completed in 1966, 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.
At 100 feet, this dam is taller than 98% 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 | Cullman |
| Nearest City | Cullman |
| River/Stream | Eight Mile Creek |
| Coordinates | 34.18512, -86.80584 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Rockfill |
| NID Height | 100 ft |
| Dam Length | 1,800 ft |
| Year Completed | 1966 (60 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 21,400 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 21,400 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 15,020 acre-ft |
| Max Discharge | 35,360 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Cullman City of |
| Owner Type | Local Government |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL00977 |
| Federal ID | AL00977 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |