Tallaseehatchee Creek W/s Dam Site 1 is an earth dam located in Talladega County, Alabama, built in 1980. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 114 ft114 ft tall and 870 ft long, taller than 98% 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 Tallaseehatchee Creek W/s Dam Site 1
The primary purpose of Tallaseehatchee Creek W/s Dam Site 1 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 City of Sylacauga Utilities Board (local government). It impounds the Tallaseehatchee Creek near Sylacauga.
The dam stands 114 feet tall and stretches 870 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 87 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 17,666 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 23 square miles. Completed in 1980, the structure is 46 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. The most recent inspection on record was 05/05/2015. That was 11 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.
At 114 feet, this dam is taller than 98% of all dams in the United States.
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 | Talladega |
| Nearest City | Sylacauga |
| River/Stream | Tallaseehatchee Creek |
| Coordinates | 33.19928, -86.15825 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 114 ft |
| Dam Height | 112 ft |
| Dam Length | 870 ft |
| Year Completed | 1980 (46 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 17,666 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 17,666 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 1,695 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 87 acres |
| Drainage Area | 23 sq mi |
| Max Discharge | 44,022 cfs |
| Spillway Type | Uncontrolled |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Flood Risk Reduction |
| Owner | City of Sylacauga Utilities Board |
| Owner Type | Local Government |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Last Inspection | 05/05/2015 |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL01515 |
| Federal ID | AL01515 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |