Lake Vista is an earth dam located in Jefferson County, Alabama. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 32 ft32 ft tall and 495 ft long, taller than 74% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. 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 Lake Vista
The primary purpose of Lake Vista is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. It impounds the Tr-cahaba River near Trussville.
The dam stands 32 feet tall and stretches 495 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 5 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 75 acre-feet.
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 | Jefferson |
| Nearest City | Trussville |
| River/Stream | Tr-cahaba River |
| Coordinates | 33.67981, -86.58694 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 32 ft |
| Dam Height | 32 ft |
| Dam Length | 495 ft |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 75 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 75 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 5 acres |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner Type | Not Listed |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL83483 |
| Federal ID | AL83483 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |