Touchstone Lake is a dam located in Shelby County, Alabama. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 10 ft10 ft tall and 295 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 Touchstone Lake
The primary purpose of Touchstone Lake 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 Omar & Tommy Touchstone (private). It impounds the Spencer Creek near Chelsea.
The dam stands 10 feet tall and stretches 295 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 48 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 334 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 | Shelby |
| Nearest City | Chelsea |
| River/Stream | Spencer Creek |
| Coordinates | 33.32198, -86.61929 |
Physical Characteristics
| NID Height | 10 ft |
| Dam Height | 10 ft |
| Dam Length | 295 ft |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 334 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 334 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 48 acres |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Flood Risk Reduction |
| Owner | Omar & Tommy Touchstone |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL83500 |
| Federal ID | AL83500 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |