Wilson Dam is a concrete dam located in Lauderdale County, Alabama, built in 1924. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 137 ft137 ft tall and 4,541 ft long, taller than 99% 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 Wilson Dam
The primary purpose of Wilson 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 Tennessee River near Florence.
The dam stands 137 feet tall and stretches 4,541 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 15,600 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 674,220 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 30,750 square miles. Completed in 1924, the structure is over a century 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 07/17/2024.
At 137 feet, this dam is taller than 99% 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 | Lauderdale |
| Nearest City | Florence |
| River/Stream | Tennessee River |
| Coordinates | 34.79997, -87.62551 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Concrete |
| NID Height | 137 ft |
| Dam Height | 113 ft |
| Dam Length | 4,541 ft |
| Year Completed | 1924 (102 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 674,220 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 674,220 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 636,543 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 15,600 acres |
| Drainage Area | 30,750 sq mi |
| Max Discharge | 893,000 cfs |
| Spillway Type | Controlled |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Flood Risk Reduction |
| Owner | TVA |
| Owner Type | Federal |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Last Inspection | 07/17/2024 |
| Emergency Action Plan | Yes |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL07702 |
| Federal ID | AL07702 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |