Salacoa Highlands Lake Dam dam
Salacoa Highlands Lake Dam
Salacoa Highlands Lake Dam, located in Pickens, Georgia, was completed in 1987 and serves as a recreational hub for water resource and climate enthusiasts. This private dam, with a height of 37.3 feet and a hydraulic height of 22 feet, creates a picturesque lake with a normal storage capacity of 166 acre-feet and a maximum storage of 233 acre-feet. The dam's primary purpose is for recreation, offering visitors a tranquil waterfront setting for various outdoor activities.
Managed by the Georgia Safe Dams Program, the Salacoa Highlands Lake Dam is regulated, inspected, and enforced by the state authorities to ensure its safety and compliance with dam regulations. Despite its high hazard potential, the dam's condition assessment is currently not rated, indicating a need for further evaluation. With uncontrolled spillways and outlet gates, the dam poses moderate risks that are being actively managed through risk assessment and potential emergency action plans.
The Salacoa Highlands Lake Dam, designed by Dan McGill & Associates, stands as a testament to engineering ingenuity in creating sustainable water resources for recreational purposes. As a vital component of the local landscape, this earth dam continues to draw visitors seeking solace in its natural beauty while also highlighting the importance of responsible dam management in safeguarding water resources for future generations.
Dam data reference
Condition Assessment
- Satisfactory
- No existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. Acceptable performance is expected under all loading conditions (static, hydrologic, seismic) in accordance with the minimum applicable state or federal regulatory criteria or tolerable risk guidelines.
- Fair
- No existing dam safety deficiencies are recognized for normal operating conditions. Rare or extreme hydrologic and/or seismic events may result in a dam safety deficiency. Risk may be in the range to take further action.
- Poor
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized for normal operating conditions which may realistically occur. Remedial action is necessary. POOR may also be used when uncertainties exist as to critical analysis parameters which identify a potential dam safety deficiency.
- Unsatisfactory
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized that requires immediate or emergency remedial action for problem resolution.
- Not Rated
- The dam has not been inspected, is not under state or federal jurisdiction, or has been inspected but, for whatever reason, has not been rated.
Hazard Potential Classification
- High
- Dams assigned the high hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation will probably cause loss of human life.
- Significant
- Dams assigned the significant hazard potential classification are those dams where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life but can cause economic loss, environmental damage, disruption of lifeline facilities, or impact other concerns. Significant hazard potential classification dams are often located in predominantly rural or agricultural areas but could be in areas with population and significant infrastructure.
- Low
- Dams assigned the low hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life and low economic and/or environmental losses. Losses are principally limited to the owner's property.
- Undetermined
- Dams for which a downstream hazard potential has not been designated or is not provided.
Plan around the weather
Same NOAA / yr.no feed Snoflo's iOS app uses. Watch the precipitation column on the meteogram -- rain on the basin upstream typically lifts inflow 24-72 hours later.
Next 5 days, hour by hour
Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.
5-day forecast table
Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.
| Time | Condition | Temp (°F) | Snow (in) | Rain (in) | Humidity (%) | Wind (mps) | Wind dir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading detailed forecast… | |||||||
15-day temperature & precipitation
Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks.
Nearby streamflow gauges
USGS streamgauges around Salacoa Highlands Lake Dam -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Talking Rock Creek Near Hinton | 52 cfs | → |
| Fausett Creek Near Talking Rock | 3 cfs | → |
| Etowah River At Canton | 338 cfs | → |
| Coosawattee River At Carters | 588 cfs | → |
| Coosawattee River Near Ellijay | 235 cfs | → |
| Amicalola Creek Near Dawsonville | 79 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Salacoa Highlands Lake Dam.
Boat launches
Campgrounds
- Harris Branch - Carters Lake
- Rocky Ford Campsite
- Doll Mountain - Carters Lake
- Salacoa Creek Park
- Sweetwater - Allatoona Lake
- Woodring Branch - Carters Lake
Fishing spots
Paddle runs
- Source In Cohutta Wilderness To Nf Boundary North Of Murray's Lake
- Southern Boundary Cohutta Wilderness Near Peter Cove To Northern Boundary Cohutta Wilderness Near Alaculsy
- Northern Boundary Cohutta Wilderness To Confluence With Conasauga River
- Nf Boundary To Taylor's Creek In Cherokee Nf (Tn)
- Taylors Creek (Rm 74.5) To Nf Boundary (Rm 70.0)
- Martin Branch Bridge To Robertsontown Bridge On Ga Highway 356
Track Salacoa Highlands Lake Dam in the Snoflo app
Save this dam as a favorite and get the local NOAA / yr.no forecast plus regional flow context wherever you are.
About Salacoa Highlands Lake Dam
Where does the data for Salacoa Highlands Lake Dam come from?
Structural and regulatory data come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' National Inventory of Dams (NID). Weather forecast comes from NOAA / yr.no -- the same feed Snoflo's iOS app uses.
How often is the report updated?
NID structural data refreshes annually as the Corps publishes updated assessments. The weather forecast refreshes throughout the day.
What does the High hazard rating mean?
The Corps of Engineers' hazard potential classification grades probable consequences if the dam fails: High = probable loss of human life; Significant = no probable loss of human life but possible economic loss / environmental damage; Low = no probable loss of human life, only minor economic / environmental losses. See the Dam Data Reference card above for the full definitions.
What's "% of normal"?
The current storage value compared to the historical average storage on this calendar day. 100% = right on average; values above 100% mean above-normal storage (wet year); values below mean below-normal (dry year or drought).
Can I get alerts when storage crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this dam, set a threshold, and you'll get a push the moment conditions cross.
Other water bodies near here
Snoflo-tracked reservoirs and dams within driving distance of Salacoa Highlands Lake Dam.