Brookwood Forest Lake

Brookwood Forest Lake is an earth dam located in Limestone County, Alabama, built in 1969. It carries a High hazard potential classification.

Hazard potentialHighFailure would probably cost lives
ConditionNot assessed
Emergency action planNone on file
Last inspectionNot reported
Height13 ft
Built196957 years ago

Dam profile

NID height · 13 ft
13 FT TWO-STORY HOUSEMEDIAN U.S. DAM · 24 FT

13 ft tall and 450 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 Brookwood Forest Lake

The primary purpose of Brookwood Forest Lake is fish and wildlife pond. The dam creates habitat for fish and wildlife, supporting local ecosystems and potentially serving conservation goals. The dam is owned by Tom Johnson (private). It impounds the Tr-swan Creek near Athens.

The dam stands 13 feet tall and stretches 450 feet across, has a maximum storage capacity of 77 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1969, 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.

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
CountyLimestone
Nearest CityAthens
River/StreamTr-swan Creek
Coordinates34.79756, -86.93004

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height13 ft
Dam Height13 ft
Dam Length450 ft
Year Completed1969 (57 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage77 acre-ft
Max Storage77 acre-ft
Normal Storage48 acre-ft
Drainage Area0 sq mi
Max Discharge256 cfs
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeFish and Wildlife Pond
OwnerTom Johnson
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationHigh
Condition AssessmentNot assessed
Emergency Action PlanNo

Identifiers

NID IDAL01010
Federal IDAL01010
More InfoASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program)