C.J. Brown Dam & Reservoir, Springfield, Ohio

The CJ Brown Reservoir was created to minimize the effects of flooding on downstream Buck Creek. The construction of dams creates an opportunity to release water when needed (e.g. in Springfield during times of low flow on Buck Creek when fish might normally not survive & waters would be hard to navigate). Dams are source of electricity to many places. Dams also interact with Critical Zone processes, stopping sediment from flowing downstream, creating reservoirs that draw down nutrient excess. While this may be a benefit in agricultural areas (removing excess fertilizer), dams ultimately fail. They have a finite lifespan due to the limitations of construction and the force from built-up sediment.


Geology of Critical Zone Class at CJ Brown Reservoir

In class we discussed the Aswan Dam in Egypt that created jobs and made it possible to regulate the Nile for farmlands near the dam. Drawbacks included interrupting the age-old cycle of fertility from natural flooding, the salinization of upstream farmland through irrigation from the reservoir, Lake Nassar, and the loss of land and artifacts where the lake was created, and the sinking of the delta from loss of new sediment.



Outflow, water is released from CJ Brown here

Stage Height is measured at the outflow to calculate total volume of water released.