Lewis Smith Lake is a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 in north Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

. Located on the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River

Black Warrior River

The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles to the Tombigbee River, of which the Black Warrior is the primary tributary...

, the lake covers over 21000 acres (85 km²) in Cullman

Cullman County, Alabama

Cullman County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Colonel John G. Cullmann. As of 2010, the population was 80,406. Its county seat is the town of the same name, Cullman, Alabama. It is a "moist" county in terms of availablity of alcoholic beverages, which means...

, Walker

Walker County, Alabama

Walker County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.Its name is in honor of John Williams Walker, a member of the United States Senate. As of 2010 the population was 67,023...

, and Winston

Winston County, Alabama

Winston County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, formerly known as Hancock County before 1858.Its name is in honor of John A. Winston, the 15th Governor of Alabama. As of 2010, the population was 24,484. Its county seat is Double Springs....

 counties. The three-fingered lake has over 500 miles (804.7 km) of shoreline, and at full pool has a level of 510 feet (155.4 m). The lake was created by Alabama Power

Southern Company

Southern Company is a public utility holding company of primarily electric utilities in the southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is currently the 16th largest utility company in the world and the...

 by use of the Smith Lake Dam. The largest earthen dam in the eastern United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, it stretches 2200 feet (670.6 m) in length and reaches a maximum height of 300 feet (91.4 m). Construction began on November 25, 1957, and the dam entered service on September 5, 1961. Nearby towns include Bremen

Bremen, Alabama

Bremen is an unincorporated town in Cullman County, Alabama, United States.-History:The Bremen community was founded with the name Empire in 1860. In order to prevent confusion with another Empire community in the state, the name was changed in 1879 by the town's first postmaster, James Macentepe...

, Crane Hill and Dodge City

Dodge City, Alabama

Dodge City is a town in Cullman County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 612.-Geography:Dodge City is located at .According to the U.S...

 in Cullman County; Curry

Curry, Alabama

Curry is a large community in north-central Walker County, Alabama, USA. Curry High School is located here, and it is the closest community to the Lewis Smith Lake dam. Curry is served by Alabama State Route 257 which is simply called Curry Highway by locals....

 and Jasper

Jasper, Alabama

Jasper is a city in Walker County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,659. As of 2011 the population had was 13,857. The city is the county seat of Walker County, and once ranked among the world's leading producers of coal....

 in Walker County; and Addison

Addison, Alabama

Addison is a town in Winston County, Alabama, U.S. At the 2010 U.S. Census it had a population of 758.-Geography:Addison is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....

, Arley

Arley, Alabama

Arley is a town in Winston County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 290. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the town had a population of 321. -Geography:Arley is located at ....

, and Double Springs

Double Springs, Alabama

Double Springs is a town in Winston County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,003. The city is the county seat of Winston County.- Geography :Double Springs is located at .According to the U.S...

 in Winston County. It is the second-cleanest lake in America, behind Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...

.