List of dam removals in Alabama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of dams in Alabama that have been removed as physical impediments to free-flowing rivers or streams.
Removals by watershed
Black Warrior River
In 2007 an illegal dam was removed from Mud Creek, a tributary of the Black Warrior River. The dam had been illegally constructed by Hanceville Water and Sewer to capture raw sewage leaking from a wastewater treatment plant.[1]
Old Shadow Lake Dam was removed from the Turkey Creek tributary in 2013. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnered with the Freshwater Land Trust to remove the dam, which had blocked passage of the endangered vermilion darter.[2][3]
Cahaba River
In 2004, Marvel Slab Dam was removed from the Cahaba River. The dam consisted of 46 culverts under a bridge that allowed coal and logging trucks and coal mining equipment to cross the river.[4]
Chattahoochee River
Two major dams have been removed from the Chattahoochee River on the Alabama–Georgia border. The Eagle & Phenix Dam was demolished in 2012 and the City Mills Dam in 2013. The removals made way for a whitewater kayaking course.[5]
Proposed removals
In 2018, Georgia Power filed to decommission and remove two additional outdated hydroelectric dams on the Chattahoochee in Alabama–Georgia: Langdale Dam and Riverview Dam.[6]
Completed removals
| Dam[7] | Height | Year removed | Location | Watercourse | Watershed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed dam | 2007 | Hanceville 34.0555°N 86.7558°W |
Mud Creek | Black Warrior River | |
| Old Shadow Lake Dam | 6 ft (1.8 m) | 2013 | Pinson 33.6828°N 86.6464°W |
Turkey Creek | |
| Marvel Slab Dam[4] | 6 ft (1.8 m) | 2004 | Montevallo 33.1656°N 87.0294°W |
Cahaba River | Cahaba River |
| Shades Branch Steel Ford | 2011 | West Blocton 33.221°N 87.0295°W |
Shades Branch | ||
| Goodwins Mill Dam[8] | 15 ft (4.6 m) | 2013 | St. Clair County 33.8197°N 86.3855°W |
Big Canoe Creek | Coosa River |
| Unnamed dam | 2022 | Etowah County 34.0059°N 86.0688°W |
Big Wills Creek | ||
| Eagle & Phenix Dam[5] | 17 ft (5.2 m) | 2012 | Phenix City 32.4698°N 84.9976°W |
Chattahoochee River | Chattahoochee River |
| City Mills Dam[5] | 10 ft (3.0 m) | 2013 | Phenix City 32.4801°N 84.9944°W | ||
| Unnamed dam | 2010 | Seale 32.364°N 85.1216°W |
Uchee Creek | ||
| Howle and Turner Dam[9] | 16 ft (4.9 m) | 2019 | Cleburne County 33.552°N 85.612°W |
Tallapoosa River | Tallapoosa River |
| Livingston Dam[10] | 2019 | Livingston 32.5885°N 88.1975°W |
Sucarnoochee River | Tombigbee River |
Planned and proposed removals
| Dam | Expected year | Location | Watercourse | Watershed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Langdale Dam | Chambers County 32.8156°N 85.1653°W |
Chatahoochee River | Chatahoochee River | |
| Riverview Dam | Chambers County 32.7928°N 85.1431°W |
