Cumberland Lake Dam

About Cumberland Lake Dam

The primary purpose of Cumberland Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. It impounds the Buckhead Creek near Hope Mills.

The dam stands 12 feet tall and stretches 300 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 65 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 240 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 7 square miles. Completed in 1929, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

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 11/25/2020.

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 North Carolina dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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