Lake Larry Dam

About Lake Larry Dam

The primary purpose of Lake Larry Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Ms. Melissa Turner Ms. Catherine Durden (private). It impounds the Unknown near Eldorado.

The dam stands 10 feet tall and stretches 655 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 28 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 149 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 600 square miles. Completed in 1955, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years old.

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. The most recent inspection on record was 12/01/2010. That was 15 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.

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