Chicopee Falls Dam

{{Infobox dam

|name = Chicopee Falls Dam

|image = ChicopeeRiver.jpg

|image_caption = Chicopee Falls Dam

|name_official = Chicopee Falls Dam

|dam_crosses = Chicopee River

|res_name = Chicopee Reservoir

|location = Chicopee, Massachusetts

|dam_length = 300 ft (91.44 m)

|dam_height = 10 ft (3.05 m)

|dam_width_base =

|construction_began = late 1800

| coordinates = {{coord|42|09|36|N|72|34|51.5|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

|extra =

}}

The Chicopee Falls Dam is a masonry stone dam that parallels Route 33 (Bridge Street) in Chicopee, Massachusetts. It is part of the Chicopee River Watershed. The dam was constructed in the late 19th century,{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}} and is owned by the City of Chicopee. It impounds the waters of the Chicopee River at Chicopee Falls, to form the Chicopee Reservoir.

This is the third-to-last dam on the Chicopee River before it empties into the Connecticut River just north of Springfield.{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}}

Flash-boards have been installed to raise the level of the impoundment above the original height of the dam. Therefore, the dam's effective height is greater than the {{convert|10|ft}} shown in its specifications.

History

In 1823, Jonathan Dwight purchased the water privilege at Skenungonuck Falls in Chicopee. He built a textile mill and five years later it became second-largest operation in the state. By 1831, settlers had developed two giant dams, two waterpower canals, and two manufacturing communities along on the Chicopee River.

Image:ChicopeeBelowDam.jpg

References

  • [http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/36wqar3.doc Massachusetts water resources]

{{Massachusetts}}

Category:Buildings and structures in Chicopee, Massachusetts

Category:Dams in Massachusetts

Category:Masonry dams