Brown Bridge Dam

About Brown Bridge Dam

The primary purpose of Brown Bridge Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by City Of Traverse City (local government). It impounds the Boardman River near Traverse City.

The dam stands 46 feet tall and stretches 2,400 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 191 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 2,800 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 151 square miles. Completed in 1921, the structure is over a century old.

This dam carries a high hazard potential classification, which means that a failure or uncontrolled release of water would likely cause loss of human life. This classification reflects the consequences of failure, not the likelihood — it indicates that people live or work in the area downstream. The most recent inspection on record was 06/18/2008. That was 17 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

At 46 feet, this dam is taller than 91% of dams nationwide.

Living Downstream

If you live or work downstream of this dam, consider taking these steps: learn your local evacuation routes, check whether your county emergency management office has a dam failure inundation map, and sign up for local emergency alerts. The Michigan dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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