Dr. Courtney Dam

About Dr. Courtney Dam

The primary purpose of Dr. Courtney Dam is fish and wildlife pond. The dam creates habitat for fish and wildlife, supporting local ecosystems and potentially serving conservation goals. The dam is owned by Carl Held & Bill Reid (private). It impounds the Tr-big Creek near Warrenton.

The dam stands 30 feet tall and stretches 600 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 2 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 200 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 96 square miles. Completed in 1966, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years 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 05/17/1979. That was 46 years ago — unusually long for a high-hazard dam, which typically requires more frequent inspections.

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 Missouri dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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