Panama Dam

About Panama Dam

The primary purpose of Panama Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Gerry A Green (private). It impounds the Little Brokenstraw Creek near Panama.

The dam stands 18 feet tall and stretches 206 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 18 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 210 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 4 square miles. Completed in 1910, 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. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 09/07/2023.

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

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