| Lay Lake Info | |
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Lay Lake is a 12,000-acre reservoir located thirty-five minutes south of Birmingham off
I-65 and fifteen miles south of
Columbiana in east-central Alabama. Lay Lake borders
St. Clair,
Talladega,
Shelby,
Coosa, and
Chilton Counties. The primary uses for this reservoir are
hydroelectric generation and recreation. Lay Lake is popular for
tournament
fishing
and boating. Seven
public access areas offer bank and boat access to the lake.
Construction on Lay Dam was started in 1909 and the lake was filled in 1914 making it the first Alabama Power hydroelectric dam. In the 1960's Alabama Power sought construction of a new dam just south of Wilsonville. Those plans were abandoned and instead, the original dam was heightened adding an additional 15 feet of water and thousands of more acres to the reservoir. Many of the newer developments are located within this area. Also, Lay Lake maintains full pool all year except for a short draw down in the fall for shoreline repairs. The shoreline is diverse and the waterway is almost 50 miles long from Logan Martin Dam south to Lay Dam. The upper sections consist of a riverine habitat, almost unchanged since before the impoundment. Many creeks exist in the upper sections and maintain cool water throughout summer. As you travel south the lake widens and becomes rockier towards the lower end. The lake has many homes but still retains miles of undeveloped shoreline. You can spend all day cruising in a pontoon boat or just fishing within a mile of the boat launch. Beeswax park near Columbiana offers a full lake recreation experience, with a boat launch, beach area, hiking trails and picnic areas. Lay Lake offers many miles of undeveloped shoreline. However, in recent years construction has started to boom. New developments such as Oak Harbor and Perkins Landing offer upscale lake living. The area around Cedar Creek has many new homes being built. There are plans to construct a bridge at the old Perkins Landing ferry crossing linking Shelby and Talladega counties. Just upstream Shelby County is building a new water plant. With all this on the horizon the time to invest is now. |
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| www.laylake.org | |
| www.laylake.info | |
| www.outdooralabama.com | |
| www.fishin.com | |
| www.wunderground.com | |
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