Lake Tuscaloosa Dam is an earth dam located in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, built in 1971. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 125 ft125 ft tall and 1,280 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 embankment section and the water level is illustrative.
About Lake Tuscaloosa Dam
The primary purpose of Lake Tuscaloosa Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Tuscaloosa City of (local government). It impounds the North River near Holt.
The dam stands 125 feet tall and stretches 1,280 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 180,000 acre-feet. Completed in 1971, 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 125 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 | Tuscaloosa |
| Nearest City | Holt |
| River/Stream | North River |
| Coordinates | 33.26500, -87.50667 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 125 ft |
| Dam Length | 1,280 ft |
| Year Completed | 1971 (55 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 180,000 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 180,000 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 130,000 acre-ft |
| Max Discharge | 50,000 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Tuscaloosa City of |
| Owner Type | Local Government |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL01137 |
| Federal ID | AL01137 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |