Rainwood Lake

Rainwood Lake is an earth dam located in Walker County, Alabama. It carries a High hazard potential classification.

Hazard potentialHighFailure would probably cost lives
ConditionNot assessed
Emergency action planNone on file
Last inspectionNot reported
Height20 ft

Dam profile

NID height · 20 ft
20 FT TWO-STORY HOUSEMEDIAN U.S. DAM · 24 FT

20 ft tall and 530 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 Rainwood Lake

The primary purpose of Rainwood 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 Barbara Odom (private). It impounds the Tr-mulberry Fork near Good Springs.

The dam stands 20 feet tall and stretches 530 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 4 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 40 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

StateAlabama
CountyWalker
Nearest CityGood Springs
River/StreamTr-mulberry Fork
Coordinates33.65375, -87.16632

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height20 ft
Dam Height20 ft
Dam Length530 ft

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage40 acre-ft
Max Storage40 acre-ft
Surface Area4 acres

Ownership & Safety

PurposeFlood Risk Reduction
OwnerBarbara Odom
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationHigh
Condition AssessmentNot assessed
Emergency Action PlanNo

Identifiers

NID IDAL83506
Federal IDAL83506
More InfoASDSO on Alabama (no state dam safety program)