Watertown Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Watertown Dam |
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Watertown Dam from the south bank of the Charles River
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 Location of Watertown Dam in USA Massachusetts
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| Location | Watertown, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 42°21′55″N 71°11′21″W / 42.36528°N 71.18917°W |
| Opening date | 1900 |
| Operator(s) | Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts) |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Charles River |
| Length | 220 feet (67 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 30 acre⋅ft (37,000 m3) |
| Catchment area | 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) |
The Watertown Dam is a structure that stretches across the Charles River in Watertown, Massachusetts. It is located about 980 feet (300 m) upstream from the Watertown Bridge. This dam marks the spot where the river's tidal area used to end. Today, tides do not reach this far because of another dam downstream called the Charles River Dam.
The Watertown Dam is built from concrete and is a type called a gravity dam. This means it uses its own weight to hold back the water. The dam is 220 feet (67 m) long. It can hold about 30 acre-feet (37,000 m³) of water. Normally, it holds about 20 acre-feet (25,000 m³). The dam helps manage water from an area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²).
The history of the dam goes back a long way to 1632. That's when people first built a fish weir here. A weir is like a fence in the water to catch fish. The dam you see today was built in 1900. The Department of Conservation and Recreation takes care of it. It is also part of the Upper Charles River Reservation, a protected natural area.
Wildlife and the Dam's Impact
The Watertown Dam is the second of many dams along the Charles River. This dam creates a barrier for fish like river herring. These fish swim upstream from the ocean each spring to lay their eggs. Even though the dam is there, herring have been caught at this spot for a very long time.
Long ago, the Pequossette people, a tribe of the Massachusett people, used to catch herring here. They would put stakes into the river and weave branches between them. This created a trap that would catch the herring as the tide went out.
Today, there is a special path for fish called a fish ladder. This ladder helps the fish get past the dam and swim upstream to their spawning areas. This fish ladder is part of a bigger system that helps fish travel up to 20 miles (32 km) up the river.
In the spring, many blueback herring and alewife gather below the dam. This makes it a popular spot for many birds that like to eat fish. You might see herring gulls, great black-backed gulls, great blue herons, night herons, and cormorants fishing here.
- Great blue heron fishing for herring below the Watertown Dam
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Readying to strike
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Heron has fish under water
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Successfully speared
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With herring
