Kinzua Dam
Encyclopedia
The Kinzua Dam, in the Allegheny National Forest
in Warren County, Pennsylvania
, is one of the largest dam
s in the United States east of the Mississippi River
.
The dam is located 6 miles (10 km) east of Warren, Pennsylvania
along Route 59
, within the 500000 acres (2,023.4 km²) Allegheny National Forest
. A boat marina and beach are located within the dam boundaries. In addition to providing flood control and power generation, the dam created Pennsylvania's deepest lake, the Allegheny Reservoir
, also known as Kinzua Lake.
and 1938
, actual construction on the dam was begun by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1960 and completed in 1965. The main purpose of the dam is flood control on the Allegheny River
. Kinzua controls drainage on a watershed
of 2180 square miles (5,646.2 km²), an area twice the size of the state of Rhode Island. Side benefits derived from the dam include drought control, hydroelectric
power production, and recreation.
dumped continual heavy rains on the watershed, bringing the reservoir to within three feet of its maximum storage capacity. Downstream flood damages of an estimated $247 million was avoided. The dam at Kinzua has prevented an estimated $1 billion in flood damages since becoming operational.
Immediately above the downstream side of the dam is the Seneca Pumped Storage Generating Station
, a hydroelectric power plant using pumped storage to accommodate peak electrical load
by storing potential energy
in water pumped into an upper reservoir by using base load
electricity, then reclaiming that energy when it is needed by allowing the water to fall back down and drive generators along the way.
created four highly developed reservoir campgrounds, along with five primitive (boat to or hike only) camping areas. Several scenic overlooks with miles of hiking trails and information centers were also constructed along the reservoir. In addition, the Seneca Nation
maintains a fully developed campground on their reservation at the northern end of the reservoir in New York.
(signed by President Washington
), forcing relocation of 600 Seneca. In 1961, citing the immediate need for flood control, President John F. Kennedy
denied a request by the Seneca to halt construction. The Seneca lost a 1964 appeal over the relocation of a four lane highway
through the remaining portion of the reservation.
A Pennsylvania land grant to the Seneca leader Cornplanter
was also condemned. His descendants had already moved to Salamanca, New York
, near the northern shore of the Allegheny Reservoir.
In 1964, the American country singer Johnny Cash
recorded the song "As Long as the Grass Shall Grow
" (composed by the Native American folk singer Peter La Farge
) about the Senecas' plight; the Seneca nation's owned-and-operated radio station, WGWE
, plays the song at least once a week in remembrance, as does WPIG
, the local country music station. The folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie
also mentions the Kinzua Dam in her songs "Now That the Buffalo's Gone" (recorded in 1964) and "My Country 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying" (recorded in 1966).
, the small village of Kinzua (1960 population: 458), which was located at the confluence of Kinzua Creek
with the Allegheny River, and the hamlet of Onoville (in South Valley, New York
, 1960 population unknown), among a few other small villages and hamlets. All residents were forced out through eminent domain
and required to relocate.
The creation of the dam also forced the displacement of Camp Olmsted, owned by the Chief Cornplanter Council of the Boy Scouts of America
. The campsite
had been located on bottomland along the Allegheny River but dam construction forced it to be moved up the hillside.
Allegheny National Forest
The Allegheny National Forest is a National Forest located in northwestern Pennsylvania. The forest covers of land. Within the forest is Kinzua Dam, which impounds the Allegheny River to form Allegheny Reservoir. The administrative headquarters for the Allegheny National Forest is located in Warren...
in Warren County, Pennsylvania
Warren County, Pennsylvania
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 41,815. It was formed in 1800 from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming counties; attached to Crawford County until 1805 and then to Venango County until Warren was formally organized in 1819. Its county...
, is one of the largest dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s in the United States east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
The dam is located 6 miles (10 km) east of Warren, Pennsylvania
Warren, Pennsylvania
Warren is a city in Warren County, Pennsylvania, United States, located along the Allegheny River. The population was 9,710 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. It is home to the headquarters of the Allegheny National Forest and the Cornplanter State Forest...
along Route 59
Pennsylvania Route 59
Pennsylvania Route 59 is a long state highway located in northwest Pennsylvania. The route links Warren to Smethport, terminating at U.S. Route 6 at both ends. PA 59 acts as a northerly bypass to US 6, directly connecting Warren and Smethport while US 6 dips south to serve Kane and Mount...
, within the 500000 acres (2,023.4 km²) Allegheny National Forest
Allegheny National Forest
The Allegheny National Forest is a National Forest located in northwestern Pennsylvania. The forest covers of land. Within the forest is Kinzua Dam, which impounds the Allegheny River to form Allegheny Reservoir. The administrative headquarters for the Allegheny National Forest is located in Warren...
. A boat marina and beach are located within the dam boundaries. In addition to providing flood control and power generation, the dam created Pennsylvania's deepest lake, the Allegheny Reservoir
Allegheny Reservoir
The Allegheny Reservoir is a reservoir along the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania and New York, USA. It was created in 1965 by the construction of the Kinzua Dam along the river.-History:...
, also known as Kinzua Lake.
Construction
Authorized by the Flood Control Acts of 1936Flood Control Act of 1936
The Flood Control Act of 1936, , was an Act of the United States Congress signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on 22 June 1936. It authorized civil engineering projects such as dams, levees, dikes, and other flood control measures through the United States Army Corps of...
and 1938
Flood Control Act of 1938
The Flood Control Act of 1938 was an Act of the United States Congress signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that authorized civil engineering projects such as dams, levees, dikes, and other flood control measures through the United States Army Corps of Engineers and other Federal...
, actual construction on the dam was begun by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1960 and completed in 1965. The main purpose of the dam is flood control on the Allegheny River
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. Kinzua controls drainage on a watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of 2180 square miles (5,646.2 km²), an area twice the size of the state of Rhode Island. Side benefits derived from the dam include drought control, hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
power production, and recreation.
Engineering data
- Length of dam: 1877 feet (572 m)
- Maximum height of dam: 179 feet (55 m)
- Earthfill: 3,000,000 cubic yards (2,300,000 m³)
- Concrete: 500,000 cubic yards (380,000 m³)
- PenstockPenstockA penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydraulic turbines and sewerage systems. It is a term that has been inherited from the technology of wooden watermills....
s (pipes through dam): Eight 5’-8” x 10’ discharge sluices and two hydroelectric penstocks, 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter - Hydroelectric generating capacity: 400 megawatts
- Construction Costs: $108,000,000
Economics
The total cost of construction was approximately $108 million. According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, Kinzua more than paid for itself in 1972 when tropical storm AgnesHurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. A rare June hurricane, it made landfall on the Florida Panhandle before moving northeastward and ravaging the Mid-Atlantic region as a tropical storm...
dumped continual heavy rains on the watershed, bringing the reservoir to within three feet of its maximum storage capacity. Downstream flood damages of an estimated $247 million was avoided. The dam at Kinzua has prevented an estimated $1 billion in flood damages since becoming operational.
Seneca Pumped Storage Generating Station
Seneca Pumped Storage Generating Station
The Seneca Pumped Storage Generating Station is a hydroelectric power plant using pumped storage of water to generate electric power. It is located near Warren, Pennsylvania in Warren County....
, a hydroelectric power plant using pumped storage to accommodate peak electrical load
Peaking power plant
Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants, and occasionally just "peakers," are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity.-Peak hours:...
by storing potential energy
Potential energy
In physics, potential energy is the energy stored in a body or in a system due to its position in a force field or due to its configuration. The SI unit of measure for energy and work is the Joule...
in water pumped into an upper reservoir by using base load
Base load power plant
Baseload is the minimum amount of power that a utility or distribution company must make available to its customers, or the amount of power required to meet minimum demands based on reasonable expectations of customer requirements...
electricity, then reclaiming that energy when it is needed by allowing the water to fall back down and drive generators along the way.
Recreation
The Allegheny Reservoir and surrounding area have been opened up for a variety of recreational activities such as camping, hiking, snowmobiling and boating along the reservoir. The US Forest ServiceUnited States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
created four highly developed reservoir campgrounds, along with five primitive (boat to or hike only) camping areas. Several scenic overlooks with miles of hiking trails and information centers were also constructed along the reservoir. In addition, the Seneca Nation
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
maintains a fully developed campground on their reservation at the northern end of the reservoir in New York.
Native Americans
Construction of the dam legally condemned 10,000 acres of the Allegheny Reservation granted in the Treaty of CanandaiguaTreaty of Canandaigua
The Treaty of Canandaigua is a treaty signed after the American Revolutionary War between the Grand Council of the Six Nations and President George Washington representing the United States of America....
(signed by President Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
), forcing relocation of 600 Seneca. In 1961, citing the immediate need for flood control, President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
denied a request by the Seneca to halt construction. The Seneca lost a 1964 appeal over the relocation of a four lane highway
Interstate 86 (east)
Interstate 86 is an Interstate Highway that extends for through northwestern Pennsylvania and southern New York in the United States...
through the remaining portion of the reservation.
A Pennsylvania land grant to the Seneca leader Cornplanter
Cornplanter
Gaiänt'wakê was a Seneca war-chief. He was the son of a Seneca mother, Aliquipiso, and a Dutch father, Johannes Abeel. He also carried the name John Abeel after his fur trader father...
was also condemned. His descendants had already moved to Salamanca, New York
Salamanca (town), New York
Salamanca is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 544 at the 2000 census. The name is from a major investor in a local railroad....
, near the northern shore of the Allegheny Reservoir.
In 1964, the American country singer Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
recorded the song "As Long as the Grass Shall Grow
Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian
Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian is a concept album and nineteenth album released by country singer Johnny Cash in 1964 on Columbia Records. It is one of several Americana records by Cash; as its title implies, the tracks on the album focus exclusively on the history of and problems...
" (composed by the Native American folk singer Peter La Farge
Peter La Farge
Peter La Farge was a New York-based folksinger and songwriter of the 1950s and 1960s...
) about the Senecas' plight; the Seneca nation's owned-and-operated radio station, WGWE
WGWE
WGWE is an FM radio station licensed to Little Valley, New York. The station, with a tower atop Fourth Street in the village of Little Valley, broadcasts a classic hits format on 105.9 MHz and operates under the ownership of the Seneca Nation of Indians; the Seneca nation purchased WGWE's...
, plays the song at least once a week in remembrance, as does WPIG
WPIG
WPIG is an FM radio station located in Olean, New York. Branded as the "Big Pig," "The Pig" or simply by its frequency and callsigns at times, the station operates at 95.7 MHz on the FM dial and operates a broad-based country music format...
, the local country music station. The folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie, OC is a Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire includes...
also mentions the Kinzua Dam in her songs "Now That the Buffalo's Gone" (recorded in 1964) and "My Country 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying" (recorded in 1966).
Elimination of Corydon and Kinzua
The construction of the dam and the filling of the Allegheny Reservoir also necessitated the elimination of the small village of Corydon (1960 population: 165), which was located at the confluence of Willow Creek with the Allegheny RiverAllegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, the small village of Kinzua (1960 population: 458), which was located at the confluence of Kinzua Creek
Kinzua Creek
Kinzua Creek is a tributary of the Allegheny River in McKean County, Pennsylvania in the United States.The upper reaches of the creek pass through Kinzua Bridge State Park, where the creek was spanned by the Kinzua Viaduct until a tornado destroyed the viaduct in 2003.Kinzua Creek joins the...
with the Allegheny River, and the hamlet of Onoville (in South Valley, New York
South Valley, New York
South Valley is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 302 at the 2000 census. The name is from the town's geographical attributes.The Town of South Valley is in the southwest corner of the county...
, 1960 population unknown), among a few other small villages and hamlets. All residents were forced out through eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
and required to relocate.
The creation of the dam also forced the displacement of Camp Olmsted, owned by the Chief Cornplanter Council of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. The campsite
Campsite
A campsite or camping pitch is a place used for overnight stay in the outdoors. In British English a campsite is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using tents or camper vans or caravans; this British English use of the word is synonymous with the...
had been located on bottomland along the Allegheny River but dam construction forced it to be moved up the hillside.