Drummond Lake Dam is an earth dam located in Jefferson County, Alabama, built in 1975. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 86 ft86 ft tall and 325 ft long, taller than 97% 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 Drummond Lake Dam
The primary purpose of Drummond Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Gary Drummond (private). It impounds the Trib of Cahaba R near Three Houses.
The dam stands 86 feet tall and stretches 325 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 2,206 acre-feet. Completed in 1975, 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 86 feet, this dam is taller than 97% 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 | Jefferson |
| Nearest City | Three Houses |
| River/Stream | Trib of Cahaba R |
| Coordinates | 33.51207, -86.67770 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 86 ft |
| Dam Length | 325 ft |
| Year Completed | 1975 (51 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 2,206 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 2,206 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 1,914 acre-ft |
| Max Discharge | 2,056 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Gary Drummond |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL01530 |
| Federal ID | AL01530 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |