East Lake Park is an earth dam located in Jefferson County, Alabama, built in 1912. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 13 ft13 ft tall and 1,400 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 East Lake Park
The primary purpose of East Lake Park is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Birmingham City of (local government). It impounds the Tr Village Creek near East Lake Birmingham.
The dam stands 13 feet tall and stretches 1,400 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 120 acre-feet. Completed in 1912, the structure is over a century 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
| State | Alabama |
| County | Jefferson |
| Nearest City | East Lake Birmingham |
| River/Stream | Tr Village Creek |
| Coordinates | 33.56819, -86.72716 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 13 ft |
| Dam Length | 1,400 ft |
| Year Completed | 1912 (114 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 120 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 120 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 100 acre-ft |
| Max Discharge | 150 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Birmingham City of |
| Owner Type | Local Government |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL01261 |
| Federal ID | AL01261 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |