Bear Creek Dam is an earth dam located in Franklin County, Alabama, built in 1969. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 68 ft68 ft tall and 1,385 ft long, taller than 96% 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 Bear Creek Dam
The primary purpose of Bear Creek 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 TVA (federal). It impounds the Bear Creek near Red Bay.
The dam stands 68 feet tall and stretches 1,385 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 690 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 39,700 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 233 square miles. Completed in 1969, 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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 02/27/2025.
At 68 feet, this dam is taller than 96% 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 | Franklin |
| Nearest City | Red Bay |
| River/Stream | Bear Creek |
| Coordinates | 34.39853, -87.98814 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 68 ft |
| Dam Height | 68 ft |
| Dam Length | 1,385 ft |
| Year Completed | 1969 (57 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 39,700 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 39,700 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 9,600 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 690 acres |
| Drainage Area | 233 sq mi |
| Max Discharge | 73,000 cfs |
| Spillway Type | Uncontrolled |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Flood Risk Reduction |
| Owner | TVA |
| Owner Type | Federal |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Last Inspection | 02/27/2025 |
| Emergency Action Plan | Yes |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL05901 |
| Federal ID | AL05901 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |