Williams Island Dam
Encyclopedia
Williams Island Dam is located on the James River
in the independent city
of Richmond, Virginia
. Just below the dam, seven miles (11 km) of rapids mark the descent of the river downstream through the geological fall line
region to the navigable tidal portion below Richmond, which extends southeast to Hampton Roads
.
Williams Island Dam was built in 1905 as part of a drinking water project of the City of Richmond which made use of a portion of the former James River and Kanawha Canal
along the north shore of the river west of Richmond. A gravity dam, its height is 7 feet (2.1 m). Its normal storage capacity is estimated to be 50 acre.ft. It was connected with an early waterworks building which is located on Pumphouse Drive just west of the city's Boulevard Bridge
.
Williams Island Dam is wholly located within the city's James River Park system. Williams Island, which separates the two sections of the dam, is a 95 acres (384,451.7 m²) wildlife preserve and has the nest of a Bald Eagle
. According to the James River Park website, Richmond is the only capital city in the lower 48 states to have an eagle nesting inside the corporate limits.
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
in the independent city
Independent city
An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...
of Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. Just below the dam, seven miles (11 km) of rapids mark the descent of the river downstream through the geological fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
region to the navigable tidal portion below Richmond, which extends southeast to Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
.
Williams Island Dam was built in 1905 as part of a drinking water project of the City of Richmond which made use of a portion of the former James River and Kanawha Canal
James River and Kanawha Canal
The James River and Kanawha Canal was a canal in Virginia, which was built to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast....
along the north shore of the river west of Richmond. A gravity dam, its height is 7 feet (2.1 m). Its normal storage capacity is estimated to be 50 acre.ft. It was connected with an early waterworks building which is located on Pumphouse Drive just west of the city's Boulevard Bridge
Boulevard Bridge
-External links:*...
.
Williams Island Dam is wholly located within the city's James River Park system. Williams Island, which separates the two sections of the dam, is a 95 acres (384,451.7 m²) wildlife preserve and has the nest of a Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
. According to the James River Park website, Richmond is the only capital city in the lower 48 states to have an eagle nesting inside the corporate limits.