C.J. Brown Reservoir

About Us:

larence J. Brown Reservoir is a flood control and recreation reservoir with 1,970 surface acres and 14.15 miles of shoreline. The reservoir is in the Great Miami River watershed; it impounds Buck Creek and drains an area of 82 square miles. Construction by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was begun in September 1966 and completed in fall 1973. The gates were closed on January 2, 1974, and the lake was filled to approximately 1,000 acres by spring. The lake was held at this level throughout the summer to permit construction of a beach, and to allow channel construction and building of islands in the north end. The lake was filled to seasonal pool in spring 1975. The lake was lowered in fall 1979 to build a marina and place 16 piling groups for fish habitat structure.

The earthen dam is 6,600 feet long and 72 feet high at the highest point. An open-cut spillway allows the release of excess water to prevent flow over the dam. The maximum water depth is 50 feet at the dam. The control tower on the upstream side of the dam has inlets at the bottom which allow the water to pass through a conduit under the dam.

The eastern shore slopes more gently than the western shore, which drops off rapidly to 30 feet. The upper end of the reservoir, north of the Buck Creek Lane crossing, is very shallow. Standing trees in some of the coves along the western shoreline provide most of the fish cover in the lake.