Mt Laurel Lake is a dam located in Shelby County, Alabama. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 52 ft52 ft tall and 425 ft long, taller than 93% 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 Mt Laurel Lake
The primary purpose of Mt Laurel Lake is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Ebsco Development Co Inc (private). It impounds the Tr-north Fork Yellowleaf Creek near Chelsea.
The dam stands 52 feet tall and stretches 425 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 10 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 240 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 52 feet, this dam is taller than 93% 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 | Shelby |
| Nearest City | Chelsea |
| River/Stream | Tr-north Fork Yellowleaf Creek |
| Coordinates | 33.40795, -86.62422 |
Physical Characteristics
| NID Height | 52 ft |
| Dam Height | 52 ft |
| Dam Length | 425 ft |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 240 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 240 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 10 acres |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Ebsco Development Co Inc |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL83496 |
| Federal ID | AL83496 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |