Milldam
Encyclopedia
A milldam is a dam
constructed on a waterway
to create a mill pond
.
Water
passing through a dam's spillway
is used to turn a water wheel
and provide energy to the many varieties of watermill
. By raising the water level so that the overflow has farther to fall, a milldam increases the potential energy
that a mill can harness and use for various tasks.
.
Examples in the United Kingdom
include:
Examples in the United States
include:
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...
constructed on a waterway
Waterway
A waterway is any navigable body of water. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...
to create a mill pond
Mill pond
A mill pond is any body of water used as a reservoir for a water-powered mill. Mill ponds were often created through the construction of a mill dam across a waterway. In many places, the common proper name Mill Pond name has remained even though the mill has long since gone...
.
Water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
passing through a dam's spillway
Spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
is used to turn a water wheel
Water wheel
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power. A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface...
and provide energy to the many varieties of watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
. By raising the water level so that the overflow has farther to fall, a milldam increases the 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...
that a mill can harness and use for various tasks.
Examples
Listed are here are some of the innumerable examples of historic milldams and millponds (or place names taken from them) throughout the English-speaking worldEnglish-speaking world
The English-speaking world consists of those countries or regions that use the English language to one degree or another. For more information, please see:Lists:* List of countries by English-speaking population...
.
Examples in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
include:
- Bramley Millpond in Bramley, SurreyBramley, SurreyBramley is a village and civil parish about three miles south of Guildford in the Borough of Waverley in Surrey, south east England. With a population of c.3,300 most of the parish lies in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There is evidence of iron age settlement in the area,...
- Ifield Millpond in IfieldIfield, CrawleyIfield is a former village and now a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley in West Sussex, England. Ifield is in the west of the town and is bordered by Ifield West, Horsham, Langley Green to the north east, West Green to the east across the ring road and Gossops Green and Bewbush to the south...
, West SussexWest SussexWest Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming... - Valebridge Millpond on the outskirts of Burgess HillBurgess HillBurgess Hill is a civil parish and a town primarily located in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park...
, West SussexWest SussexWest Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming... - Mill Dam, ShapinsayMill Dam, ShapinsayMill Dam, Shapinsay is a wetland in western Shapinsay, in Orkney, Scotland.This water body was not shown on the 1840 survey map of the island, since it is a man-made creation from a damming in the 1880s. Mill Dam is fed by a stream flowing from the north that rises on the western lobe of Shapinsay...
in the Orkney IslandsOrkney IslandsOrkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
Examples in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
include:
- Milldam Rice Mill in Georgetown County, South Carolina
- Atwater MillpondAl Sabo PreserveAl Sabo Preserve is an area of northeastern Texas Township, in southwestern Kalamazoo County, Michigan. It comprises of marsh, forest, streams, and rolling hills...
in Kalamazoo County, MichiganKalamazoo County, Michigan-Air Service:*The Kalamazoo & Battle Creek Metro Area is served by Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.-Interstates:* I-94* I-94 Business Loop-US highways:* US-131* BUS US 131-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-43* M-89* M-96... - Ballardvale Millpond in Ballardvale, MassachusettsBallardvale, MassachusettsBallardvale is a village located within the boundaries of the town of Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States...
- Bigler's MillpondCamp PearyCamp Peary is a military reservation in York County near Williamsburg, Virginia. Officially it is referred to as the Armed Forces Experimental Training Activity under the auspices of the Department of Defense, but it is widely believed to be the location of a covert CIA training facility known...
in Bigler's Mill, VirginiaBigler's Mill, VirginiaBigler's Mill was a small town in Virginia near Williamsburg in York County which is now extinct. It is now considered one of the many lost towns of Virginia.... - Crump's Millpond in Quinton, VirginiaQuinton, VirginiaQuinton is a small unincorporated community in New Kent County, Virginia, United States. It is located on State Route 249 in the western portion of the county....
- Gardy's MillpondGardy's MillpondGardy's Millpond is a reservoir located in a tranquil setting along the Westmoreland and Northumberland county line in Northeast Virginia.The millpond is relatively shallow with an average depth of about . The upstream portion of the impoundment is swampy and the shoreline is largely forested...
in WestmorelandWestmoreland County, VirginiaAs of the census of 2000, there were 16,718 people, 6,846 households, and 4,689 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,286 housing units at an average density of...
and Northumberland County, VirginiaNorthumberland County, VirginiaNorthumberland County is a county located on the Northern Neck in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state in the United States. In 2010, its population was 12,330. Its county seat is Heathsville... - Glovers Millpond in Glascock County, GeorgiaGlascock County, GeorgiaGlascock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 19, 1857. As of 2000, the population is 2,556. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 2,771. The county seat is Gibson.-History:...
- Goodrich Millpond in Genesee County, MichiganGenesee County, Michigan-Interstates:* I-69* I-75* I-475-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-13* M-15* M-21* M-54* M-57-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 436,141 people, 169,825 households, and 115,990 families residing in the county. The population density was 682 people per square mile . There were 183,630...
- Goodwin's MillpondGoodwin LakeGoodwin Lake can refer to:*Goodwin Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota, USA*Goodwin Lake in Mahnomen County, Minnesota, USA*Goodwin Lake in Thurston County, Washington, USA*Goodwin Lake in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, USA...
in Marlboro County, South Carolina - Hands Millpond in Cape May County, New JerseyCape May County, New Jersey-Climate:Being the southernmost point in New Jersey, Cape May has fairly mild wintertime temperatures. Contrary to that, the summertime has lower temperatures than most places in the state, making the county a popular place to escape the heat. It is in zone 7a/7b, which is the same as parts of...
- Merchants Millpond State ParkMerchants Millpond State ParkMerchants Millpond State Park is a North Carolina state park in Gates County, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Gatesville, North Carolina, it covers 3,250 acres around a 200 year old, 700 acre millpond and Lassiter Swamp. The park also contains a large cypress swamp. Canoeing is...
in Gates County, North CarolinaGates County, North CarolinaGates County is a small rural county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 12,197. Its county seat is Gatesville. It is part of the Albemarle Sound area of the Inner Banks... - MillpondButler, New YorkButler is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 2,277 at the 2000 census.The Town of Butler is on the east border of the county and is west of Syracuse, New York.- History :Settlement began in 1803....
, a small lake in Butler, New YorkButler, New YorkButler is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 2,277 at the 2000 census.The Town of Butler is on the east border of the county and is west of Syracuse, New York.- History :Settlement began in 1803.... - Millpond Acres in Sussex County, DelawareSussex County, DelawareSussex County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 the population was 197,145, an increase of 25.9% over the previous decade. The county seat is Georgetown. The Seaford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Sussex County.Sussex County is...
- Millpond ParkChippewa River (Michigan)The Chippewa River is a stream in the U.S. state of Michigan that runs through the central Lower Peninsula. The Chippewa is a tributary of the Tittabawassee River and is thus part of the Saginaw River drainage basin...
in Mount Pleasant, MichiganMount Pleasant, MichiganMount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Isabella County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 25,946. The 2008 census estimate places the population at 26,675.... - Millpond Plantation in Thomas County, GeorgiaThomas County, GeorgiaThomas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2010 Census showed a population of 44,720. The county seat is Thomasville.-History:...
- Millpond ReservoirBurlington, MassachusettsBurlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....
in Burlington, MassachusettsBurlington, MassachusettsBurlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....