Silver Lake Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Silver Lake Dam
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Dam spillway from north, 2008
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| Location | Woodridge / Fallsburg, NY |
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| Nearest city | Middletown |
| Built | 1840s |
| Architect | Rufus Lord, chief engineer |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000585 |
| Added to NRHP | June 20, 2000 |
The Silver Lake Dam is a historic structure near Woodridge, New York. It was built in the 1840s. Its main job was to control the water flow of Sandburg Creek. This water was very important for the Delaware and Hudson Canal. The canal used this water for its highest section, about 10 miles (16 km) away.
In the year 2000, the dam was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a special place recognized for its history. The dam created a large body of water, about 85 acres (34 hectares) big. This water became known as Silver Lake. The lake became a popular spot for visitors. Many people came to the summer resorts in Woodridge and nearby towns. Today, the village of Woodridge owns the dam. They have been working to fix it because it had a leak.
What Does the Silver Lake Dam Look Like?
The Silver Lake Dam is made of stone. It has large, strong stones held together with mortar. Inside, it is filled with smaller, loose stones. The dam is about 176 feet (54 meters) long. It is 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide at the top. The dam stands about 13 feet (4 meters) above the water on the downstream side.
In the middle of the dam, there is a special section called a spillway. This spillway is 11 feet (3.4 meters) wide and 2 feet (0.6 meters) deep. It helps control the water level. Two large cast-iron pipes, each 15 inches (38 cm) wide, go through the bottom of the dam. These pipes have gate valves at the top. These valves help control the water flowing out.
History of the Silver Lake Dam
The Silver Lake Dam was built in the 1840s. At that time, the Delaware and Hudson Canal needed more water. The canal was very important for moving goods. It ran through the town of Mamakating. The canal's highest point, between Mamakating and Napanoch, needed a steady water supply.
Engineers found that Sandburg Creek could provide this water. The creek flows from the Woodridge area down to Wurtsboro. It then empties into the Basha Kill. So, they decided to build a dam on Sandburg Creek. This created a large reservoir (a place to store water). The dam was built long before the area became a developed town.
Around 1895, the canal business started to slow down. Trains were becoming more popular for transportation. Trains could run all year, even in winter, unlike canals. Records show that the dam was repaired and updated around this time. A report from 1914 by the New York State Conservation Commission said the dam still looked much like its original design.
After the canal stopped operating completely, the dam became private property. The lake it created was called Woods Lake in the Conservation Commission report. It became a big attraction for the new village of Woodridge. Many Jewish summer resorts grew up around the lake. People built beaches at both ends of the lake. Some small cottages were also built along its shores.
In 1999, a part of the dam broke. Water washed away some sections. This caused the lake to shrink to only one-quarter of its normal size. The village asked for money from the state and federal governments to fix the dam. They wanted to bring the lake back to its full size. The lake's small size was hurting local businesses.
However, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) needed to approve the repairs. The DEC is in charge of dam safety. They thought about reclassifying the dam as higher risk. This would have made the repairs much more expensive and required a new design.
After getting approval from the DEC, the village planned a new design. This design would keep the dam's historic look. But then, the lowest bid to fix the dam came in at $1.5 million. This was almost twice what the village had planned to spend.
