Wyman Dam facts for kids
Wyman Dam is a large dam that creates electricity using the power of water. It is located in Somerset County, Maine, a state in the northeastern United States. This important structure helps provide power to homes and businesses.
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Wyman Dam: A Giant on the Kennebec River
Wyman Dam is a key part of the Kennebec River system. It was built a long time ago, in 1930. The dam connects two areas: the southwest part of a town called Moscow and the southeast part of Pleasant Ridge Plantation.
Who Owns and Runs Wyman Dam?
Today, NextEra Energy owns and operates Wyman Dam. This company runs six different hydroelectric facilities along the Kennebec River. The dam was named after Walter Wyman. He was the president of the company that originally built it, which was called Central Maine Power Company.
How Big is Wyman Dam?
Wyman Dam is a very impressive structure. It is partly made of earth and partly made of concrete. Imagine a wall 155 feet tall! That's how high the dam is. It is also very long, stretching 3054 feet across the river at its top.
Making Electricity with Water Power
Inside the dam, there's a special building called a power plant. This plant holds three big machines called turbine generators. Each of these generators can produce 24 megawatts of electricity. When water from the lake rushes through these turbines, it makes them spin. This spinning motion is then turned into electricity that can be sent out to power communities.
Wyman Lake: A Huge Watery Playground
The dam creates a large body of water behind it called Wyman Lake. This lake is actually a reservoir, which means it's a man-made lake used to store water. Wyman Lake is one of the biggest lakes in Maine. It holds a massive amount of water, about 194,016 acre-feet.
Exploring Wyman Lake's Size and Location
The surface area of Wyman Lake is more than five square miles when it's at its normal level. It stretches northward from the dam. The lake also forms a natural border between different areas. It separates Moscow from Pleasant Ridge Plantation. Further north, it also separates the town of Caratunk from Northwest Somerset. This makes Wyman Lake an important landmark in the region.
