Dam Blown Up For Sake Of Fish (MSNBC News - Tues., Feb. 24, 2004)
N 38° 19.313 W 077° 29.433
18S E 282279 N 4244464
After being built nearly 100 years ago, the Embrey Dam was blown up to free the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, VA.
Waymark Code: WM49HP
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 07/25/2008
Views: 21
According to
SimplyFredericksburg
, the original dam was built in 1855 by the Fredericksburg Water Power Company who purchased the Rappahannock Navigation Company canal system in the early 1850s. The dam was constructed of wood and stood 18' tall. The canal's primary function of transportation was converted to water power which provided about 5,000hp to Fredericksburg. A stone lock was located on the south end of the dam for boat passage.
Construction of the concrete dam was completed in August of 1909 approximately 60 feet downstream from the old one. This dam stood 22' high and 770' long and provided about 8,000hp of water power to the city. Around 1910, the Fredericksburg Water Power Company was purchased and renamed the Spotsylvania Water Power Company. The power plant and canal were shut down in the early 1960's and the canal no longer runs to the old power plant. (Timeline)
In 1998, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries recommended removal of the dam to aid passage of migrating fish upstream. In 1999, the Water Resources Development Act authorized $10 million for the removal of the dam and in 2002, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received the permits for the removal. In 2004, the army engineered the demolition. (See Inside Embrey
)
Then-Senator John Warner, who championed the removal and whose efforts help obtain federal funding was on site the day the dam was blown -- Feb. 23, 2004.
For photos, video, and more details, go here.
Today, the debris has been cleaned up and the Rappahannock runs free. You can access the ruins which stand on the Fredericksburg side and the Stafford side along a hiking/biking path that runs along the Rappahannock canal.
Nearest parking is off Fall Hill Ave. at N 38° 19.006 W 77° 29.155.
Additional news articles to the one referenced can be found here.