Oak Mountain Lake Dam Number One is an earth dam located in Shelby County, Alabama, built in 1954. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 40 ft40 ft tall and 300 ft long, taller than 86% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. 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 Oak Mountain Lake Dam Number One
The primary purpose of Oak Mountain Lake Dam Number One is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Oak Mt St Park St of Ala (state). It impounds the Tr Cahaba Valley Creek near New Hope.
The dam stands 40 feet tall and stretches 300 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 1,797 acre-feet. Completed in 1954, 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 40 feet, this dam is taller than 86% 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 | New Hope |
| River/Stream | Tr Cahaba Valley Creek |
| Coordinates | 33.37000, -86.70500 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 40 ft |
| Dam Length | 300 ft |
| Year Completed | 1954 (72 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 1,797 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 1,797 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 1,135 acre-ft |
| Max Discharge | 6,800 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Oak Mt St Park St of Ala |
| Owner Type | State |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL01313 |
| Federal ID | AL01313 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |