Jordan's Post #7: Clarence J. Brown Reservoir, Springfield, OH

Southwestern Ohio, being no stranger to weather disasters, has suffered through much flooding. Ever since the flood of 1913, Dayton and Springfield have labored to protect its inhabitants from floods. In 1913, a massive flood struck the Dayton and Springfield areas. This flood was incredibly destructive and the emotional and physical toll on the area residents was immense. The damages compelled both average and prominent citizens of the region’s cities to take action. In 1913, Henry Allen along with two others representing Troy wrote a letter to prominent businessman John Patterson of Dayton. This letter stated, “Our citizens are very much worked up over the flood conditions and the liability for further serious trouble…it was decided to appoint a committee to meet with the citizens or committee of Dayton and other towns in the Miami Valley, looking to more permanent relief.” The Miami Conservancy District was founded in 1913 in order to better prepare Dayton for future floods. This flood control project was driven and managed by notable men such as John Patterson, Edward Deeds, and Arthur Morgan. After the 1913 flood, Springfield put together its own Springfield Conservancy District in order to practice better flood risk management. Unfortunately, the work of the Springfield Conservancy District was not enough to deter the floods that occurred in 1929 and 1959. These floods urged Springfield to search for help from the outside. The people of Springfield and the Louisville District of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recognized a need to intervene with the goal of a permanent flood prevention system. Congressman Clarence J. Brown Sr. was the most prominent figure in the push for a dam and reservoir in Springfield. Through his efforts, the project received enough funding from Congress in order to undertake the construction. In 1966, the USACE began construction on a reservoir and earthen dam to the Northeast of Springfield. By the dedication of the Clarence J. Brown Reservoir in 1974, the project had cost almost $23 million. The 2,120-acre lake collects rainfall from an area of about eighty-two square miles. The reservoir regulates the region’s rivers and would mitigate water damage as far away as Dayton and the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and save Springfield from the threat of calamitous flooding of the Mad River.

Bock, C.A. History of the Miami Flood Control Project. State of Ohio Miami Conservancy District: Dayton, OH, 1918.

Clark County Historical Society

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers