Birmingham Water Service Lake 2 is a dam located in Jefferson County, Alabama. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 41 ft41 ft tall, taller than 87% 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 Birmingham Water Service Lake 2
The primary purpose of Birmingham Water Service Lake 2 is water supply. The dam stores water for municipal, industrial, or agricultural use, helping ensure a reliable supply for the surrounding area. The dam is owned by Birmingham Water Service (private). It impounds the Tr-little Shades Creek near Mountain Brook/vestavia Hills.
The dam stands 41 feet tall, creates a reservoir covering 19 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 356 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.
At 41 feet, this dam is taller than 87% of dams nationwide.
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 | Mountain Brook/vestavia Hills |
| River/Stream | Tr-little Shades Creek |
| Coordinates | 33.46285, -86.75814 |
Physical Characteristics
| NID Height | 41 ft |
| Dam Height | 41 ft |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 356 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 356 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 19 acres |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Water Supply |
| Owner | Birmingham Water Service |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL83485 |
| Federal ID | AL83485 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |