Mountain Lakes Dam

About Mountain Lakes Dam

The primary purpose of Mountain Lakes Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Mountain Lakes Resort, Inc. (private). It impounds the Cathy Creek.

The dam stands 50 feet tall and stretches 435 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 38 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 909 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 800 square miles. Completed in 1970, 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 fair — the dam has minor deficiencies that are being addressed or do not pose an immediate safety threat. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 02/06/2013. That was 13 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 50 feet, this dam is taller than 93% 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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