Bushley Bayou Dam

About Bushley Bayou Dam

The primary purpose of Bushley Bayou Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Catahoula Parish Police Jury;tensas Basin Levee District (local government). It impounds the Brushley Bayou near Harrisonburg.

The dam stands 32 feet tall and stretches 815 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 437 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 5,016 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 13 square miles. Completed in 1960, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years old.

This dam has a low hazard potential classification, meaning that failure would cause minimal damage, limited primarily to the dam owner's property, with no expected loss of life. Its condition is rated fair — the dam has minor deficiencies that are being addressed or do not pose an immediate safety threat. The most recent inspection on record was 09/25/2023.

At 32 feet, this dam is taller than 76% of dams nationwide.

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