Books and Cameras: Hoover Dam

I've always been fascinated by dams. Small, large, well known landmarks, or tucked away down a dirt access road they're all equally interesting to me. The very idea is simply bad-ass: "I'm going to stop the same force that cut the Grand Canyon." Rushing water is so difficult to contain (as any child with a stream nearby can tell you) seeing situations where its been done successfully gives me a rush of pride at being human.

Hoover Dam is just a hop, skip, and jump from where I lived several years back. I discovered it one morning after a mandatory store meeting, too keyed up to go home but still too early to really do anything. I wish I'd had a camera that day--the mist, the birds, the magic that was in the air would have been perfect for this post. However, you'll just have to settle for some pictures from this weekend.

The View South of the Dam

Hoover Dam, and Hoover Reservoir it created, were not named after Herbert Hoover. They were named for Charles and Clarence Hoover, two brothers who served the Columbus Division of Water. Clarence was a long time superintendent, and Charles the chief chemist who did a brief stint as superintendent after his brother died.

Hoover Memorial Reservoir, as seen from the bridge over Hoover Dam

The dam was built in the mid 1950's as an answer to water shortage problems in the Northside of Columbus. Existing reservoirs at the time were technically sufficient for the water needs of the city...but getting the water to homes and businesses during the summer months took more pumping power than the cities had. So the water works decided to create a reservoir upstream of the city by damming the Big Walnut Creek, and essentially letting the water flow downhill to the Hap Cremean water treatment plant on Morse Road (constructed at roughly the same time as one giant public works project).

Control tower for the intake system and gates

The project included new mains along Morse and Karl to feed this new expansion into the existing system. If you ride on Cherry Bottom Road in Gahanna and look West through the bushes, you can see where water from the Hoover Reservoir winds up--there's a point where the Big Walnut becomes a rather large concrete waterway. The lights and distinctive designs of a water treatment plant are easily seen just a stone's throw away.

One of the gates, viewed from the reservoir side

Different gate from above, but the down-river view. This one shows very well how the gates can hold back the water

Part of Sunbury Road had to be moved out of the way to create the reservoir, and evidently there were objections from Delaware County (where 2/3 of the reservoir actually lies) about having to maintain bridges in place of simple roads. But unlike Quabbin in Massachusetts (or many other examples I don't have a personal connection to) no towns were flooded out to create Hoover.

One of the intakes used to feed the Big Walnut

Where those intakes spit out

There's no electricity being generated at this Hoover Dam, and the intakes are only along the West side. That doesn't make things any less perilous to boaters or swimmers, however:

Nor does it make things less impressive for me. The construction is listed as largely compacted-earth, since there's more of it that looks like a big hill than concrete wall. That didn't stop me from finding plenty to photograph, however.

Yes, that is a hardy little plant hanging onto the side of the dam

One of the advantages to the Reservoir and having a treatment plant down river is boating, fishing, birding, and all manner of recreation has become a huge part of the Hoover Dam and Reservoir area. In addition to falling under the purview of the Division of Water, the Department of Recreation and Parks maintains jogging paths, disc golf, and marinas to add taxpayer value to the property.

It's a short drive to the Hoover Dam area: a quick run along I-270 till you find OH-161, then go East toward New Albany. Take the Sunbury Road exit, turn right and drive till you see the park signs. There's more than enough access and parking for one to enjoy an afternoon out and about.