Ellsworth Power House and Dam

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Ellsworth Power House and Dam
Hydro Electric Power House, showing Leonard Lake and dam, Ellsworth, Maine (66180).jpg
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LocationUnion River, Ellsworth, Maine
Coordinates 44°32′39″N68°25′50″W / 44.54417°N 68.43056°W / 44.54417; -68.43056 Coordinates: 44°32′39″N68°25′50″W / 44.54417°N 68.43056°W / 44.54417; -68.43056
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1907 (1907)
EngineerJames L. Leonard
Architectural styleRenaissance, Ambursen type
NRHP reference No. 85001262 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 20, 1985

The Ellsworth Power House and Dam is a hydroelectric power generation facility on the Union River in Ellsworth, Maine. [2] The dam, located just north of downtown Ellsworth, is also known as the Union River Dam, [3] and impounds the river to create Leonard Lake, [4] named for project's engineer, James Leonard.[ citation needed ] The powerhouse is a Renaissance Revival building located at the western end of the dam.[ citation needed ] The power plant, built in 1907, [3] was one of the first peaking power plants built in the state, and the hollow concrete dam is one of the highest hollow (or Ambursen-type) buttress dams ever built, having been described as "the highest power dam in New England" in 1928. [2] [5] The facility was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, [2] where it is currently listed. [3]

Contents

Description

The Ellsworth Dam is located between two bluffs which flank Maine's Union River, and rise to a height of more than 100 feet (30 m). [2] The dam consists of a series of buttresses, each set on a schist bedrock ledge, three feet thick, and spaced about 15 feet (4.6 m) apart, which provide support for two large slabs of steel-reinforced concrete that span the river between the bluffs. [2] [5] The dam is 71 feet (22 m) in height, with a spillway 60 feet (18 m) long. [2] The schist ledge ensures the longevity of the dam.[ clarification needed ] [5]

The power station is located at the base of the dam on the west bank of the river. [2] It is a 1+12-story structure built out of concrete blocks, with a red tile gabled roof. [2] The Renaissance Revival[ citation needed ][ clarification needed ] structure has round-arch windows which are connected by a stone belt course, and there are Palladian windows in the gable ends. [2] An addition on the building's rear was built with similar styling. [2]

The Ellsworth Dam produces 29,907 megawatt-hours per year as of 2012, [4] and is licensed to supply about 30,000 megawatt-hours per year, which is 1% of Maine's hydropower. [3] It is one of the 118 power-generating dams in Maine as of 2016. [3] The flow of water at the Ellsworth Dam is controlled by the Graham Lake Dam, which created Graham Lake. [4]

History

The power station was built in 1907 by the Bar Harbor and Union River Power Company, to designs by its engineer, James Leonard. [2] The company was merged in 1925 into the Bangor Hydro-Electric Company, [2] now part of Emera.[ citation needed ] Later, the plant was sold to Penobscot Hydro[ clarification needed ], and then to PPL in 1999[ clarification needed ]. [4] The plant was acquired by Black Bear Hydro in 2009 from PPL, [4] and sold to Brookfield Partners in 2014.[ citation needed ]

The dam was in the process of being relicensed as of 2012; its most recent permit, issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 1987, was due to expire in 2017. [4] However, public concern about fish passage and water quality, caused the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to delay issuing a new permit.[ citation needed ] The new expiration date is April 2020.[ citation needed ]

(The dam is no longer hollow. During the 1990s. the FERC required installation of post-tensioned anchors deep into ledge and the filling of the hollow dam with concrete, in order to increase dam safety.)[ citation needed ]

See also

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References

  1. "National Register Information System  (#85001262)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "NRHP nomination for Ellsworth Power House and Dam". National Park Service. 22 May 1985. Retrieved 20 Apr 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Union River Dam". The Ellsworth American. 2016-12-09. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Company begins five-year effort to relicense Ellsworth hydroelectric dam". Bangor Daily News. August 29, 2012. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  5. 1 2 3 "Ellsworth". Maine: An Encyclopedia. 2011-11-21. Retrieved 2021-04-20.