Gilham's Lake Dam

About Gilham's Lake Dam

The primary purpose of Gilham's Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Barbara Lopez Gilham Holdings, Llc (private). It impounds the Willeo Creek near Roswell.

The dam stands 41 feet tall and stretches 170 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 20 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 282 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 816 square miles. Completed in 1960, 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. Its condition is rated satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 02/09/2016. That was 10 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 41 feet, this dam is taller than 88% of dams nationwide.

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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