Lake Thacker is a dam located in Shelby County, Alabama. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 24 ft24 ft tall and 1,300 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 Lake Thacker
The primary purpose of Lake Thacker is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Robert & Jamie Thacker (private). It impounds the Tr-big Creek near Columbia.
The dam stands 24 feet tall and stretches 1,300 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 38 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 458 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 | Columbia |
| River/Stream | Tr-big Creek |
| Coordinates | 33.22890, -86.75619 |
Physical Characteristics
| NID Height | 24 ft |
| Dam Height | 24 ft |
| Dam Length | 1,300 ft |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 458 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 458 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 38 acres |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Robert & Jamie Thacker |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL83501 |
| Federal ID | AL83501 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |