Mastersom Mill Lake

Mastersom Mill Lake is an earth dam located in Lawrence County, Alabama, built in 1967. It carries a High hazard potential classification.

Hazard potentialHighFailure would probably cost lives
ConditionNot assessed
Emergency action planNone on file
Last inspectionNot reported
Height47 ft
Built196759 years ago

Dam profile

NID height · 47 ft
47 FT TEN-STORY BUILDINGMEDIAN U.S. DAM · 24 FT

47 ft tall and 633 ft long, taller than 91% 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 Mastersom Mill Lake

The primary purpose of Mastersom Mill Lake is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by City of Moulton (local government). It impounds the Turkey Creek near Masterson Mill.

The dam stands 47 feet tall and stretches 633 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 1,890 acre-feet. Completed in 1967, 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 47 feet, this dam is taller than 91% 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

StateAlabama
CountyLawrence
Nearest CityMasterson Mill
River/StreamTurkey Creek
Coordinates34.54544, -87.27082

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height47 ft
Dam Length633 ft
Year Completed1967 (59 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage1,890 acre-ft
Max Storage1,890 acre-ft
Normal Storage1,330 acre-ft
Max Discharge5,000 cfs

Ownership & Safety

PurposeRecreation
OwnerCity of Moulton
Owner TypeLocal Government
Hazard ClassificationHigh
Condition AssessmentNot assessed
Emergency Action PlanNo

Identifiers

NID IDAL01005
Federal IDAL01005
More InfoASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program)