Jump to content

Walter Bouldin Dam

Coordinates: 32°35′03″N 86°16′57″W / 32.58428°N 86.28263°W / 32.58428; -86.28263
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walter Bouldin Dam
CountryUnited States
LocationElmore County, Alabama
StatusOperational
Opening date1967

Walter Bouldin Dam is a dam in Elmore County, Alabama. The closest town is Wetumpka.

The earthen dam was constructed in 1967 by the Alabama Power Company, with a height of 170 feet (52 m), and a length of 11,178 feet (3,407 m) at its crest.[1] It impounds the Coosa River for 225 MW of hydroelectric power, the last and largest of Alabama Power's string of seven hydropower facilities on that river. It's also the largest of all Alabama Power hydropower facilities.[2]

The reservoir it creates, Bouldin Lake, is connected via free-flowing canal to Jordan Lake, making one reservoir with a water surface of 6,800 acres (2,800 ha), shoreline of about 188 miles (303 km), a total length of 18 miles (29 km), and a maximum storage volume of 236,200 acre-feet (291,300,000 m3).[3] It's an excellent recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid and white bass. The lake has two public access sites.[4]

Walter Bouldin Dam failed on February 10, 1975 by breach, with no casualties and no property damage beyond the dam property itself.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Walter Bouldin". findlakes.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-26.
  2. ^ "Walter Bouldin Dam - Alabama Power". www.alabamapower.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-15.
  3. ^ "Lake Jordan Statistics".
  4. ^ "Coosa Project - Alabama Power". www.alabamapower.com. Archived from the original on 2007-05-03.
  5. ^ "584 F2d 750 Alabama Power Company v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission". 27 November 1978. p. 750.

32°35′03″N 86°16′57″W / 32.58428°N 86.28263°W / 32.58428; -86.28263