Captain William Patrick Lay organized Alabama Power on December 4, 1906. Soon thereafter he received authorization from Congress to construct the company’s first dam and electric generating plant on the Coosa River – the Lock 12 dam.

On a cold November day in 1929, with the Goodyear blimp circling overhead, members of the board of directors and other dignitaries gathered at the Lock 12 dam to carry out the board’s recent resolution, to rename the dam in recognition of Captain Lay’s service to the company and to the public.

The story of Lay Dam and Lay Lake began as a story of energy. It continues today as a story of flood control, recreation and economic opportunity, irrigation and drinking water, and fish and wildlife habitats. Power was just the beginning.

Lay Reservoir Facts:
Elevation above sea level: 396 feet
Area: 12,000 acres
Shoreline: 289 miles
Length: 48.2 miles
Maximum depth at dam: 88 feet
Area of watershed draining into reservoir: 9,087 square miles