Lake Osborn is a dam located in Shelby County, Alabama. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 18 ft18 ft tall and 595 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 Osborn
The primary purpose of Lake Osborn is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Dustin & Christopher Osborn (private). It impounds the Tr-big Creek near Columbia.
The dam stands 18 feet tall and stretches 595 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 24 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 238 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 | 33.23202, -86.75329 |
Physical Characteristics
| NID Height | 18 ft |
| Dam Height | 18 ft |
| Dam Length | 595 ft |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 238 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 238 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 24 acres |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Dustin & Christopher Osborn |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | AL83502 |
| Federal ID | AL83502 |
| More Info | ASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program) |