Flood Control

Lake Greeson is a part of comprehensive plan for flood control in the Ouachita River Basin and electric power generation for use in the electric grid. The impoundment comprising Lake Greeson was authorized by the Flood Control Act approved 18 August 1941. Narrows Dam at Lake Greeson is a 941-foot long concrete gravity structure built to a height of 175 feet above the mean valley. Construction of the dam began in May 1947, and was completed for commercial generation May 1950. Lake Greeson has the storage capacity of 128,200 acre feet of water for flood control purposes. Water accumulated can be released either by power generation or opening the flood control conduit as downstream conditions permit. In May 1968, Lake Greeson reached an elevation of 564.6 above mean sea level, which exceeded the spillway by 1.6 feet. This is the only time that the lake's water level has exceeded the spillway crest elevation.