Opening date 1937 Installed capacity 0 MW Opened 1937 | Impounds Savannah River Turbines 0 Height 4.57 m Length 110 m Turbine 0 | |
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Similar Savannah River, J Strom Thurmond Dam, Richard B Russell Dam, Augusta Canal, Hartwell Dam | ||
New savannah bluff lock and dam
New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam is a dam with inactive lock at the site of the dead town of New Savannah, Georgia on the Savannah River south of Augusta, Georgia.
Contents
- New savannah bluff lock and dam
- Map of New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam Augusta GA 30906 USA
- PurposeEdit
- HistoryEdit
- Current usesEdit
- StructureEdit
- References
Map of New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam, Augusta, GA 30906, USA
PurposeEdit
The dam was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers for commercial navigation purposes to serve the city of Augusta, located approximately 13 miles (21 km) upstream. It does not serve a hydroelectric power generation or flood control function.
HistoryEdit
Located at river mile 187.4, the lock and dam was authorized by the 1930 and 1935 Rivers and Harbors Acts to facilitate commercial navigation on the upper reaches of the Savannah River. The structure was completed in 1937. The last commercial shipping to use the lock ceased in 1979 and the structure and upstream channel fell into disuse. In 1999 the Corps of Engineers proposed demolishing and removing the dam, but local outcry over the resulting impact to users of the impounded pool resulted in the United States Congress declaring in 2000 that the dam would be repaired and then turned over to a local government to be maintained, however the work has not received funding to date.
Current usesEdit
The dam serves water supply users including one municipality, five industries, and one sod farm; water-related recreation opportunities such as general boating and fishing and specialized rowing and powerboat race events; and regional economic development and tourism. It is also operated to pass some migratory anadromous fish species. The upstream pool extends through downtown Augusta to near the I-20 bridges.
StructureEdit
This project consists of a lock chamber, dam, operation building, and a 50-acre (200,000 m2) park and recreation area. The dam is 360 feet (110 m) long with five vertical lift gates. Each gate is 60 feet (18 m) long and located between concrete piers. The two gates on each end of the dam are 12 feet (3.7 m) high, overflow type. The three middle gates are 15 feet (4.6 m) high, non-overflow type. All are remotely controlled from the J. Strom Thurmond project. The lock is on the Georgia side of the river adjacent to the dam. The lock’s usable chamber is 56 feet (17 m) wide and 360 feet (110 m) long and the lift height is approximately 15 feet (4.6 m). Construction of this concrete gravity structure supported by timber piles was completed in 1937.