Oak Mountain Old Lake Dam is a gravity dam located in Shelby County, Alabama, built in 1931. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 55 ft55 ft tall and 136 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 concrete gravity section and the water level is illustrative.
About Oak Mountain Old Lake Dam
The primary purpose of Oak Mountain Old Lake 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 Oak Mt St Park St of Ala (state). It impounds the Tr Dry Brook near Ne Pelham.
The dam stands 55 feet tall and stretches 136 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 1,076 acre-feet. Completed in 1931, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.
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 | Ne Pelham |
| River/Stream | Tr Dry Brook |
| Coordinates | 33.34827, -86.72580 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Gravity |
| NID Height | 55 ft |
| Dam Length | 136 ft |
| Year Completed | 1931 (95 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 1,076 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 1,076 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 800 acre-ft |
| Max Discharge | 4,590 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Flood Risk Reduction |
| 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 | AL01314 |
| Federal ID | AL01314 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |