Charles River Dam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Charles River Dam is a flood control project on the Charles River in Boston Massachusetts, located just downstream of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, near Lovejoy Wharf.
The dam opened in 1978 and can be crossed by pedestrians and bicyclists. It is part of the Boston Harborwalk. The dam contains three locks, one wider than the other two for less-frequent larger vessels. There is also a fish ladder and a diesel powered pumping station, used when it is necessary to remove water from the river basin and the harbor tide is too high for natural outflow.
The purpose of the dam is to control the level of the river upstream and prevent sea water from entering the Charles River basin during high tide. It replaces an older dam upstream where the Boston Museum of Science is located. That dam's lock is now kept open for navigation. The older dam could not keep sea water out and a layer of salt water accumulated at the bottom of the fresh water basin, contributing to pollution problems.
The dam's walkway is the site of the "Charlestown Bells", an interactive art installation by Paul Matisse, consisting of a set of multicolored chimes mounted on the railing that passers-by can strike.[1]
[edit] References
|
||||||||
 This article about a building or structure in Massachusetts is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
