Big Brown Lignite Mining Area Dam is an earth dam located in Freestone County, Texas, built in 1993. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 25 ft25 ft tall and 1,390 ft long, taller than 50% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. Height is drawn to scale against a two-story house, about 25 ft; the profile is a generic embankment section and the water level is illustrative.
About Big Brown Lignite Mining Area Dam
The primary purpose of Big Brown Lignite Mining Area Dam is tailings. Tailings dams contain waste material from mining operations — typically a slurry of finely ground rock left over after valuable minerals have been extracted. These structures require ongoing monitoring because tailings can contain heavy metals and other contaminants. The dam is owned by Luminant Big Brown Mining Company Llc;luminant Mining Company LLC (private). It impounds the Bear Creek.
The dam stands 25 feet tall and stretches 1,390 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 11 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 1,623 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 5 square miles. Completed in 1993, the structure is 33 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.
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Location
| State | Texas |
| County | Freestone |
| River/Stream | Bear Creek |
| Coordinates | 31.85466, -96.04736 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 25 ft |
| Dam Height | 25 ft |
| Dam Length | 1,390 ft |
| Year Completed | 1993 (33 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 1,623 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 1,623 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 130 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 11 acres |
| Drainage Area | 5 sq mi |
| Spillway Type | None |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Tailings |
| Owner | Luminant Big Brown Mining Company Llc;luminant Mining Company LLC |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | Not Required |
Identifiers
| NID ID | TX07045 |
| Federal ID | TX07045 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |