Adams Lake

Adams Lake is an earth dam located in Blount County, Alabama, built in 1970. It carries a High hazard potential classification.

About Adams Lake

The primary purpose of Adams Lake is fire protection, stock, or small fish pond. The dam maintains a small impoundment used for fire suppression, livestock watering, or as a fish pond. The dam is owned by W. R. Adams (private). It impounds the Sand Valley Creek near Sand Valley Community.

The dam stands 17 feet tall and stretches 276 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 73 acre-feet. Completed in 1970, 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. The Alabama dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

Search for dams near your address to see all dams in your area with hazard classifications and safety data.

High HazardNot Rated ConditionEmergency Action Plan: No

Location

StateAlabama
CountyBlount
Nearest CitySand Valley Community
River/StreamSand Valley Creek
Coordinates33.84868, -86.61264

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height17 ft
Dam Length276 ft
Year Completed1970 (56 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage73 acre-ft
Max Storage73 acre-ft
Normal Storage44 acre-ft
Max Discharge71 cfs

Ownership & Safety

PurposeFire Protection, Stock, Or Small Fish Pond
OwnerW. R. ADAMS
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationHigh
Condition AssessmentNot Rated
Emergency Action PlanNo

Identifiers

NID IDAL01179
Federal IDAL01179
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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