Logan Martin Lake

Logan Martin Lake is in east-central Alabama on the Coosa River, about 30 miles east of Birmingham. The lake borders St. Clair and Talladega counties. It extends 48.5 miles upstream to Neely Henry Dam.

A closeup of the dam at Logan Martin Lake.

Background

Logan Martin Lake has provided flood control and hydropower since storage began in June 1964. Choccolocco Creek is the lake’s largest tributary and discharges 17 miles upstream of the Logan Martin Lake Dam.

At the summer pool elevation (464 feet), Logan Martin Lake maintains 273,000 acre-feet of storage and covers about 23.5 square miles. Autumn water levels are typically lowered to the winter pool elevation of 460 feet with a storage of 205,000 acre-feet and surface area of 17.5 square miles.

Historical extremes

Historical minimum and maximum elevations are 452.5 feet (October 1972) and 475.3 feet (April 1977), respectively. The average flow at Gadsen is 13,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) with a recorded maximum of 77,000 cfs.

A person puts an instrument into dirt to test the soil.

Historical reports

The following historical reports were reviewed and used as sources to define the current nature and extents of PCB concentrations located downstream of Operable Unit 4 (OU-4).

Remedial report

The Remedial Investigation Report for Operable Unit 4 of the Anniston PCB Site (OU-4 RI) describes the investigations into and extent of contamination in OU-4 soil, sediment, surface water, fish tissue, groundwater and life forms.

Off-site facility report

The Off-Site RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI) Report for Anniston describes sediment, surface water, life forms and habitat assessment data collected for the off-site area, including the 100-year floodplain and portions of Snow Creek.

Soil/sediment report

The Supplemental Investigation of Sediment and Soil Chemistry in the Vicinity of the Anniston PCB Site for Anniston was prepared by MacDonald Environmental Services Ltd. and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.

A person puts a beaker into water to gather a sample.

A person in a lake gathers water to sample.

Status

The following activities in the EPA-approved Field Sampling Plan for special studies for areas downstream of Choccolocco Creek have been completed:

Surface water sampling
Porewater sampling
Fish tissue sampling

Ongoing activities include:

Sediment sampling and evaluation
Fish movement study

The extent of contamination will be evaluated as part of these studies, and the results will be shared with stakeholders.

Upcoming activities

Fish Movement Study at Logan Martin Lake

This fish movement study in Logan Martin Lake and Choccolocco Creek began in spring 2026 and continue for about one year. Scientists collected over 300 fish and surgically implanted small radio transmitters. Tagged fish were selected to represent a range of species within Logan Martin Lake and Choccolocco Creek to support a comprehensive evaluation of fish movement patterns. This ongoing study will help scientists understand how fish move throughout the system and where they may encounter PCBs.