Gilreath Lake is an earth dam located in DeKalb County, Alabama. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 15 ft15 ft tall and 450 ft long. Height is drawn to scale against a two-story house, about 25 ft; the profile is a generic embankment section and the water level is illustrative.
About Gilreath Lake
The primary purpose of Gilreath Lake is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Charles & Jo Ann Gilreath (private). It impounds the Little Shoal Creek near Five Forks.
The dam stands 15 feet tall and stretches 450 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 7 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 58 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles.
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.
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 | DeKalb |
| Nearest City | Five Forks |
| River/Stream | Little Shoal Creek |
| Coordinates | 34.36727, -86.04633 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 15 ft |
| Dam Height | 15 ft |
| Dam Length | 450 ft |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 58 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 58 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 7 acres |
| Drainage Area | 0 sq mi |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Charles & Jo Ann Gilreath |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL83482 |
| Federal ID | AL83482 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |