Logan Martin Lake is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

located in east central

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

on the

Coosa River The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia. The river is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 ...

approximately east of

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. This reservoir was built in 1965 by

Alabama Power Company Alabama Power Company, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a company in the southern United States that provides electricity service to 1.4 million customers in the southern two-thirds of Alabama. It also operates appliance stores. It is one ...

. The lake, nicknamed Lake of a Thousand Coves by locals, has of shoreline along its length sandwiched between Logan Martin Dam on the south and Neely Henry Dam on the north. The depth of the lake is 35 to with only five feet average water level variance. The

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

borders St. Clair and Talladega counties. The

extends from Logan Martin Dam upstream to

Neely Henry Dam Neely is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adam Neely (born 1988), American bass player and YouTuber * Anne Neely (born 1946), American painter * Bill Neely (born 1959), British television journalis ...

, and it contains . Logan Martin has roughly of shoreline. Alabama has a lake of a similar name, the

Lake Martin Lake Martin is located in Tallapoosa, Elmore and Coosa counties in Alabama. It is a 39,000-acre (178 km²) reservoir with over 750 miles (1,200 km) of wooded shoreline. Lake Martin is a reservoir, enlarged by the construction of Mar ...

on the

Tallapoosa River The Tallapoosa River runs U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 from the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, United States, southward and wes ...

, but Lake Martin and Logan Martin Lake are not part of the same river system.

Hydrology

Logan Martin Lake begins at the discharge of

near Ohatchee, Alabama (near the site of former Coosa River Lock 3) and extends south to Logan Martin Dam near

Vincent, Alabama Vincent, originally known as Propel, is a city in Shelby, St. Clair, and Talladega counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,982. The community was first known as Propel, but later named Vincent in honor o ...

. The Coosa River is the primary inflow for the lake, in addition to numerous lakes and rivers. Prevailing flow is from the north to the south along a meandering course. The Coosa River arises in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

and its waters, and those of Logan Martin Lake, eventually discharge into

Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The ...

and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

through the

Alabama River The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery, near the town of Wetumpka. The river flows west to Selma, then southwest until, about from Mobile, it un ...

and

Mobile River The Mobile River is located in southern Alabama in the United States. Formed out of the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers, the approximately river drains an area of of Alabama, with a watershed extending into Mississippi, Georg ...

. The Lake is largely a run-of-the-river reservoir through its upper reaches. From the location of Lock 4 to the

I-20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Between ...

bridge, the river expands, but is still largely confined to the original course of the

and the immediate mouths of tributary streams rather than spreading over the floodplain like a typical reservoir. From the

bridge in the Riverside area to the Logan Martin Dam (approximately 23 miles), the lake expands to a width much greater than the original river channel, with large areas of open water and many medium to large sized sloughs and creeks. The maximum depth at the dam is .Facts about Logan Martin Dam

Geology

Logan Martin Lake is situated in the Northern

Piedmont physiographic province The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the Eastern United States. It is situated between the Atlantic coastal plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New York in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmo ...

of Alabama, characterized by generally low ridges at the very southern reach of the Appalachian Mountains. The reservoir lies primarily within the Ordovician Knox Group (OCk).

Wildlife

Numerous aquatic species make their home in Logan Martin Lake with game and non-game fish being the dominant interest for human use. Numerous local and national fishing tournaments are held on the lake annually, the lake has also hosted championship events of the FLW Outdoors Tour and the Bassmaster Classic in 1992, 1993, and 1997. Large numbers of both largemouth and spotted bass inhabit the lake, as well as striped bass, white bass, hybrid bass,

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxis'' ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

(mostly of the channel variety),

bream Bream ( ) are species of freshwater and marine fish belonging to a variety of genera including ''Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), ''Acanthopagrus'', '' Argyrops'', ''Blicca'', '' Brama'', ''Chilotilapia'', '' Etelis'', ''Lepo ...

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

, and

gar Gars are members of the family Lepisosteidae, which are the only surviving members of the Ginglymodi, an ancient holosteian group of ray-finned fish, which first appeared during the Triassic, over 240 million years ago. Gars comprise seven livin ...

. Fish in Logan Martin lake are polluted with, in some cases, substantial amounts of

Polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979 and internationally by t ...

s (PCBs), originating from Choccolocco Creek, and ultimately

Anniston, Alabama Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. Acco ...

. The pollution culminated with several high-profile class action lawsuits in the early 2000s, one of which was led by attorney

Johnnie Cochran Johnnie Lee Cochran Jr.Adam Bernstei ''The Washington Post'', March 30, 2005; retrieved April 17, 2006. (; October 2, 1937 – March 29, 2005) was an American lawyer best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal ...

History

The Coosa River was long used for steamship navigation as far north as

Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statisti ...

. An extensive series of

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

allowed passage along shoals and ledges in the river. After steamships were replaced by roads and railroads, the site of proposed Lock 7http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalmaps/alrivers/index.html , Coosa River, GA. and ALA; Montgomery: U.S. Engineer Office, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1928 was selected for a large dam to provide hydropower, flood control, and recreation. Construction started on the gravity concrete and earth fill dam July 18, 1960 and it was placed in service August 10, 1964. Logan Martin Dam is named after William Logan Martin, Jr., a judge and Attorney General in Alabama in the early 20th century.

Economy

Logan Martin Lake contributes millions of dollars annually to the communities surrounding the lake in the form of increased property values, expenditures by recreational visitors at local businesses, and low-cost hydropower for the state. Its proximity to the large population center of Birmingham leads to heavy use by recreational boaters during the summer, and it is also used for skiing and swimming.. The vast majority of the boat traffic is between I-20 and Logan Martin Dam, with the traffic increasing in the more open areas surrounding the Logan Martin Dam.

References

*http://www.dailyhome.com/news/2008/dh-localnews-0412-datchison-8d11v3715.htm *http://www.clantonadvertiser.com/articles/2008/04/04/sports/a-sports.txt
Anniston Star, AL
- Apr 20, 2008

External links

Hunting, fishing, Outdoor
Outdoor Alabama Logan Martin Link
General Information
Logan Martin Lake Protection AssociationLogan Martin Information and News WebsiteAlabama Lakes Logan Martin Link Coosa / Warrior Relicensing Project; Initial Information Package for the Logan Martin Development; FERC 2146Alabama Power Company; Coosa Project
{{authority control Landmarks in Alabama Reservoirs in Alabama Dams in Alabama Alabama Power dams Dams completed in 1964 Bodies of water of Calhoun County, Alabama Bodies of water of St. Clair County, Alabama Bodies of water of Talladega County, Alabama 1964 establishments in Alabama