Conemaugh Dam (also known as Conemaugh River Dam or Conemaugh River Lake Dam) is a concrete gravity dam across the Conemaugh River, near the town of Saltsburg, in Pennsylvania. The dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1936 and completed in 1952 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood protection on the Conemaugh, Kiskiminetas, and Allegheny Rivers. The dam is one of 16 flood control structures in the Corps' Pittsburgh District.[2]

Conemaugh Dam
Conemaugh Dam is located in Pennsylvania
Conemaugh Dam
Location of Conemaugh Dam in Pennsylvania
CountryUnited States
LocationIndiana/Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°28′05.04″N 79°21′58.44″W / 40.4680667°N 79.3662333°W / 40.4680667; -79.3662333
PurposeFlood control, power
StatusOperational
Opening date1952
Owner(s)U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Dam and spillways
Type of damConcrete gravity
ImpoundsConemaugh River
Height144 ft (44 m)[1]
Length1,266 ft (386 m)[1]
Reservoir
CreatesConemaugh River Lake
Total capacity355,000 acre⋅ft (0.438 km3)[1]
Catchment area1,351 sq mi (3,500 km2)[1]
Conemaugh Hydroelectric Station
Coordinates40°27′49.85″N 79°21′57.38″W / 40.4638472°N 79.3659389°W / 40.4638472; -79.3659389
Commission date1989
Turbines2 x 7 MW Kaplan-type
Installed capacity14 MW

With a capacity of 355,000 acre-feet (438,000 dam3), the lake is usually kept at a much lower level of 5,140 acre-feet (6,340 dam3), to accommodate flash floods.[1] Water is released as quickly as possible while not exacerbating flooding conditions downstream. The dam has prevented a total of $2.2 billion of flooding-related damages between 1952 and 2013, including $375 million during 2004's Hurricane Ivan alone.[2] The dam also supplies water to a 14 MW hydroelectric power station which was commissioned in 1989.[3]

Conemaugh Lake Recreation Area is located adjacent to the dam and preserves several historic sites, including segments of the Main Line Canal that once connected Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.[4][5]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2014-03-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ a b "Pittsburgh District > Missions > Recreation > Lakes > Conemaugh River Lake".
  3. ^ "Hydroelectric Plants in Pennsylvania". IndustCards. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2014-03-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ "Conemaugh River Lake, Pennsylvania".