O'Shaughnessy Dam - Shawnee Hills, Ohio
Posted by: 
Mr. 0
N 40° 09.248 W 083° 07.548
17T E 318943 N 4447030
The O'Shaughnessy Dam provides a powerful man-made waterfall when the water is flowing.
Waymark Code: WM2RM3
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 12/14/2007
Views: 84
The O'Shaughnessy (pronounced Oh-Shawn-Uh-See) was built on the Scioto River in 1925 to create a source of drinking water for the City of Columbus, and the surrounding areas. The dam is named for Jerry O'Shaughnessy who proposed the idea for the dam, and supervised the project.
The dam, and therefore the waterfall, stands 84 feet tall, and is 879 feet long. The O'Shaughnessy Reservoir holds approximately 6.3 billion gallons of water covering a surface area of 845 acres. The dam also serves as a bridge for vehicular traffic traveling on Glick Rd.
The flow of the waterfall can vary depending on how much rain has recently fallen in the area. At times there is but a mere trickle, other times the flow is quite fast and strong.
In 1987 a pair of hydroelectric turbines were installed. They can only operate when the flow is sufficient, so they can only intermittently provide power. They can produce up to 5 megawatts. In 1990 the dam was placed of the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and in 1991 the dam was restored.