Big Brown Lignite Mining Area Dam

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.

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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Low HazardNot Rated ConditionEmergency Action Plan: Not Required

Location

StateTexas
CountyFreestone
River/StreamBear Creek
Coordinates31.85466, -96.04736

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height25 ft
Dam Height25 ft
Dam Length1,390 ft
Year Completed1993 (33 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage1,623 acre-ft
Max Storage1,623 acre-ft
Normal Storage130 acre-ft
Surface Area11 acres
Drainage Area5 sq mi
Spillway TypeNone

Ownership & Safety

PurposeTailings
OwnerLUMINANT BIG BROWN MINING COMPANY LLC;LUMINANT MINING COMPANY LLC
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentNot Rated
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDTX07045
Federal IDTX07045
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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