4-j Farms Lower Lake Dam

About 4-j Farms Lower Lake Dam

The primary purpose of 4-j Farms Lower Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Black, Wayne Jr. Ola Parsons Charlotte Reynolds (private). It impounds the Indian Creek near Ft. Valley.

The dam stands 20 feet tall and stretches 360 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 18 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 206 acre-feet. Completed in 1974, 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 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 01/31/2013. That was 13 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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