St. George Dam

About St. George Dam

The primary purpose of St. George Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Fairfield Glade Community Club (private). It impounds the Bagwell Branch near Crab Orachard.

The dam stands 58 feet tall and stretches 842 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 125 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 2,497 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 2 square miles. Completed in 1965, 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 12/22/2025.

At 58 feet, this dam is taller than 95% of all dams in the United States.

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

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