Brown Dam dam
Brown Dam
Brown Dam, located in Yazoo, Mississippi, is a privately owned recreational dam built in 1995 on the Bluff Creek. Standing at 21 feet high with a length of 430 feet, this earth dam provides a storage capacity of 150 acre-feet and covers a surface area of 12.7 acres. Managed by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the dam is regulated, permitted, inspected, and enforced by state authorities to ensure its safety and compliance with environmental standards.
The primary purpose of Brown Dam is for recreation, offering opportunities for activities like fishing and boating in the surrounding area. Despite being classified as having an undetermined hazard potential and not currently rated for condition assessment, the dam poses a moderate risk. With a maximum discharge of 222 cubic feet per second, it features an uncontrolled spillway type and does not have locks or outlet gates. While emergency action plans and risk management measures are not specified, the dam's risk level is recognized as moderate, indicating the importance of ongoing monitoring and maintenance to mitigate potential hazards.
Overall, Brown Dam serves as a valuable resource for water-based activities in the Yazoo area, contributing to the local recreational landscape. As a privately owned structure with state oversight, its construction and maintenance are essential to ensuring both the safety of visitors and the preservation of the surrounding environment. With a focus on recreational use and a moderate risk profile, Brown Dam represents a key intersection of water resource management and climate resilience in the Mississippi region.
Dam data reference
Condition Assessment
- Satisfactory
- No existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. Acceptable performance is expected under all loading conditions (static, hydrologic, seismic) in accordance with the minimum applicable state or federal regulatory criteria or tolerable risk guidelines.
- Fair
- No existing dam safety deficiencies are recognized for normal operating conditions. Rare or extreme hydrologic and/or seismic events may result in a dam safety deficiency. Risk may be in the range to take further action.
- Poor
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized for normal operating conditions which may realistically occur. Remedial action is necessary. POOR may also be used when uncertainties exist as to critical analysis parameters which identify a potential dam safety deficiency.
- Unsatisfactory
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized that requires immediate or emergency remedial action for problem resolution.
- Not Rated
- The dam has not been inspected, is not under state or federal jurisdiction, or has been inspected but, for whatever reason, has not been rated.
Hazard Potential Classification
- High
- Dams assigned the high hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation will probably cause loss of human life.
- Significant
- Dams assigned the significant hazard potential classification are those dams where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life but can cause economic loss, environmental damage, disruption of lifeline facilities, or impact other concerns. Significant hazard potential classification dams are often located in predominantly rural or agricultural areas but could be in areas with population and significant infrastructure.
- Low
- Dams assigned the low hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life and low economic and/or environmental losses. Losses are principally limited to the owner's property.
- Undetermined
- Dams for which a downstream hazard potential has not been designated or is not provided.
Plan around the weather
Same NOAA / yr.no feed Snoflo's iOS app uses. Watch the precipitation column on the meteogram -- rain on the basin upstream typically lifts inflow 24-72 hours later.
Next 5 days, hour by hour
Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.
5-day forecast table
Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.
| Time | Condition | Temp (°F) | Snow (in) | Rain (in) | Humidity (%) | Wind (mps) | Wind dir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading detailed forecast… | |||||||
15-day temperature & precipitation
Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks.
Nearby streamflow gauges
USGS streamgauges around Brown Dam -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Big Black River Nr Bentonia | 776 cfs | → |
| Hanging Moss Creek Nr Jackson | 203 cfs | → |
| Harland Creek Nr Howard | 3,340 cfs | → |
| Lynch Creek At Jackson | 207 cfs | → |
| Pearl River At Jackson | 2,430 cfs | → |
| Big Black River Nr Bovina | 890 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Brown Dam.
Boat launches
- Levee Road Yazoo City
- Ms 16;Ms 149 Yazoo County
- Hinds County
- Madison Landing Circle 101, Ridgeland
- Browns Landing Road Madison County
- West River Road Jackson
Track Brown Dam in the Snoflo app
Save this dam as a favorite and get the local NOAA / yr.no forecast plus regional flow context wherever you are.
About Brown Dam
Where does the data for Brown Dam come from?
Structural and regulatory data come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' National Inventory of Dams (NID). Weather forecast comes from NOAA / yr.no -- the same feed Snoflo's iOS app uses.
How often is the report updated?
NID structural data refreshes annually as the Corps publishes updated assessments. The weather forecast refreshes throughout the day.
What does the Undetermined hazard rating mean?
The Corps of Engineers' hazard potential classification grades probable consequences if the dam fails: High = probable loss of human life; Significant = no probable loss of human life but possible economic loss / environmental damage; Low = no probable loss of human life, only minor economic / environmental losses. See the Dam Data Reference card above for the full definitions.
What's "% of normal"?
The current storage value compared to the historical average storage on this calendar day. 100% = right on average; values above 100% mean above-normal storage (wet year); values below mean below-normal (dry year or drought).
Can I get alerts when storage crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this dam, set a threshold, and you'll get a push the moment conditions cross.
Other water bodies near here
Snoflo-tracked reservoirs and dams within driving distance of Brown Dam.