For 50 years, the Okatibbee dam has held back the waters of the Okatibbee Creek, protecting the thousands of people living downstream of the 61-foot by 6,500-foot dam.

The northern-most point of the Pascagoula River Basin, the Okatibbee dam “reduces flood damage on 26,000 acres of resident, industrial and agricultural lands along Okatibbee Creek and upper Chickasawhay River at Meridian and Stonewall,” according to an Okatibbee Dam pamphlet.

A 50th-anniversary celebration, at 10 a.m. Friday, May 31, will include refreshments, a fly over by Naval Air Station pilots and speeches from local politicians and Col. Sebastien Joly, who commands the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District which oversees the Okatibbee. 

But while the dam primarily exists as a way to control flooding, most residents familiar with the dam use it recreationally, hunting, swimming, boating, camping or fishing on the 11,000-acre site.

“I expect a lot of people that come will be older residents who remember when the dam was built,” Mark Dean, the operations site manager, said. “The first function was flood reduction of the acres below us, all the way to Clarke County… but you can’t build something of this size and not have people use it. So it’s other mission is for recreation.” 

Dean estimated that the lake saw between 750,000 and 1 million visitors annually, many of whom don’t realize that the lake serves to improve the area’s water quality and serve as an alternate water source.

“By having the lake and releases here, we can keep a steady flow downstream during dry seasons,” Dean said. 

Visitors can’t bring glass, alcohol or pets to the beaches but can enjoy the overnight campground or day parks. Though some come for wildlife viewing, Dean warned about the occasional alligator.

“If you do happen to see an alligator, stay away form it and don’t get too close,” Dean said. “If it seems unafraid, notify someone immediately.”

Visitors come from across East Central Mississippi and the Gulf Coast, with Okatibbee being one of the largest bodies of water in the southern half of the state. 

“Economically it’s been a big impact as a tourist attraction to provide water-based, outdoor recreation,” Dean said. “We do get a fair number of people traveling, especially seniors who get reduced rates on federal camp sites.”

Despite the soggy conditions of Memorial Day weekend, the campground filled in just a few hours the Thursday before, Dean said. 

“And I feel confident that it will be for most of the summer,” Dean said. 

Local teens Abby Yudt, Ellie Carlisle and Natalie Evans will certainly take advantage of the beaches during their summer break between sophomore and junior year at West Lauderdale County High School.

“We come out here probably twice a week to just lay out and swim,” said Evans, with Yudt and Carlisle on Collinsville Beach. “I think this part of the beach is the nicest.”

The three said they’d been coming to the lake nearly all their lives, since they were children.

“Usually because it’s the only thing in Collinsville. It’s the only place local to go,” Yudt said.

For more information on fishing permits, boating requirements or Friday’s event, call the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Okatibbee Lake at (601) 626-8431.