York Lake Dam is an earth dam located in Polk County, Georgia. It carries a High hazard potential classification and has a poor condition assessment.
Dam profile
NID height · 27 ft27 ft tall and 450 ft long, taller than 59% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. 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 York Lake Dam
The primary purpose of York Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Barnes Farms LLC (private). It impounds the Unknown near Cedartown.
The dam stands 27 feet tall and stretches 450 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 18 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 235 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. Its condition is rated poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 01/26/2016. That was 10 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.
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. The Georgia dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.
Search for dams near your address to see all dams in your area with hazard classifications and safety data.
Location
| State | Georgia |
| County | Polk |
| Nearest City | Cedartown |
| River/Stream | Unknown |
| Coordinates | 34.00617, -85.31021 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 27 ft |
| Dam Height | 27 ft |
| Dam Length | 450 ft |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 235 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 235 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 129 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 18 acres |
| Spillway Type | Uncontrolled |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Recreation |
| Owner | Barnes Farms LLC |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Poor |
| Last Inspection | 01/26/2016 |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | GA01165 |
| Federal ID | GA01165 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |