Lake Purdy Dam is an earth dam located in Shelby County, Alabama, built in 1964. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 55 ft55 ft tall and 213 ft long, taller than 94% 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 Purdy Dam
The primary purpose of Lake Purdy Dam is flood risk reduction. The dam is designed to control downstream flooding by temporarily storing excess water during storms and releasing it at a controlled rate. The dam is owned by Bham Mun Water Serv Corp (private). It impounds the Little Cahaba River near Acton East.
The dam stands 55 feet tall and stretches 213 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 26,400 acre-feet. Completed in 1964, 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 55 feet, this dam is taller than 94% 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
| State | Alabama |
| County | Shelby |
| Nearest City | Acton East |
| River/Stream | Little Cahaba River |
| Coordinates | 33.46000, -86.66833 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 55 ft |
| Dam Length | 213 ft |
| Year Completed | 1964 (62 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 26,400 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 26,400 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 24,000 acre-ft |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Flood Risk Reduction |
| Owner | Bham Mun Water Serv Corp |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL01311 |
| Federal ID | AL01311 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |