Harriman Dam facts for kids
Harriman Dam is a large wall built across a river in Whitingham, Vermont. It's a special kind of dam called a hydroelectric dam. This means it uses the power of moving water to create electricity! Water from the dam travels through a big pipe, called a penstock, to a power plant in the nearby town of Readsboro. There, the water helps spin machines that make electricity for homes and businesses.
Contents
Harriman Dam: Powering Vermont!
Building a Giant
The Harriman Dam was built a long time ago, in 1923. It was constructed by a company called New England Power Company. Imagine how much work that must have been!
The dam is really big. It stands about 215 feet tall, which is like a 20-story building! It's also very long, stretching about 1250 feet across the land. It's one of ten dams that help control the water flow of the Deerfield River. Today, a company called TransCanada Corporation owns and operates the dam.
What is a "Morning Glory" Spillway?
Most of the Harriman Dam is made of earth. But it has a very cool and unusual part called a "morning glory" spillway. This is a special concrete drain that looks like a giant funnel standing upright. It helps release extra water from the reservoir safely when the water level gets too high. It's similar to another famous one at Monticello Dam in California.
The Harriman Reservoir
Behind the dam is a large body of water called the Harriman Reservoir. This reservoir is like a giant lake created by the dam. It covers a huge area of about 2039 acres. That's bigger than many parks!
The reservoir is also very deep, reaching a maximum depth of 180 feet in some places. It can hold a lot of water, about 117,300 acre-feet. This stored water is what helps create electricity when it's released through the dam.
Who Was Henry I. Harriman?
The dam and the reservoir are named after a person named Henry I. Harriman. He was an important leader at the New England Power Company, the company that built the dam. Naming the dam after him was a way to honor his work.
